My Spooky Nightmare A Second Chance at Life
by 4MeJasper
Summary: This story was inspired by one of my spooky nightmares. After being kidnapped from a school field trip by nomads, Bella is eventually rescued by the Cullens. Now hounded by the press, she leaves with them for South America. What waits for her in the jungle?
1. Chapter 1 - Pain

In her Twilight series, Stephenie Meyer created a world unlike any other. She owns this world, and I love playing in it. All comma errors are mine and mine alone.

This story came from a spooky little nightmare I had not too long ago. It's not really clear how it's going to end -

Spooky Nightmare - A Second Chance at Life

Chapter 1

My only thought is pain. I've managed to numb the fear for the most part. Sometimes it breaks back through, but it's a useless emotion. It no longer serves any function in my situation.

I had been out on a school field trip with my 7th grade class in Jacksonville, Florida, collecting samples of needles and bark for a science project, and walked away from the group for a moment. That was all it took. Something snatched me off my feet, and the next thing I knew I was flying through the air. I could see a moving blur next to me; at times it looked like a human face. A human arm appeared to be pinning me to what appeared to be a human body, but the body was cold and hard as stone. Breathing became difficult at this speed, and eventually I lost consciousness.

Unfortunately, I regained consciousness. When I woke up, I was leaning against a rock feeling very disoriented, and I didn't know where I was. As I slowly regained my breath, I was overwhelmed by nausea. Leaning forward I threw up, falling to my hands and knees in the process. I heard a low voice from behind me chuckle.

After retching for a few minutes, I looked up. In front of me there were two people who had the faces and bodies of movie stars. He was wearing a worn t-shirt and tight jeans that accentuated his well-built body. I noticed he had dirty blond hair framing that handsome face, but when I looked more closely, I saw his eyes were glowing red. For his part, he was looking at me with an interested expression, but he said nothing.

She had flaming red hair, white porcelain skin, and bright red eyes that matched her red hair. She was wearing a weird outfit, one that looked as though it had been casually picked up and assembled from various sources. The bits of leaves that clung to her here and there added to her unnerving appearance.

"You're awake," the woman began in an angelic, child-like voice. Something about her made my skin crawl.

"Yes," I stammered.

We sat in silence for a moment. They didn't offer to help me with my nausea, and they seemed quite comfortable ignoring the vomit that was lying on the ground in front of me. I wiped my mouth off with my arm and finally broke the silence.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" I asked.

The man rolled his eyes. "It's always the same questions. Who are you, what do you want, why are you doing this…"

The uneasy feeling changed to an icy grip of fear, and I started to shake.

"Oh look," said the woman in that soft voice. "She's completely come to her senses. The smell of her fear is delicious. Shall we?"

They moved forward in a movement too fast for me to see, and within an instant, they had me pinned to the ground. She was biting one wrist, while he was biting the other. What the hell? Were they cannibals? I started to scream, and the man looked up long enough to laugh. His mouth was covered with my blood. The pain from their bites was excruciating, and as I fought I realized that just a bite couldn't cause that much pain. As I slowly slipped back into unconsciousness, my last thought was that I was dying.

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	2. Chapter 2 - Life as a Capitve

In her Twilight series, Stephenie Meyer created a world unlike any other. She owns this world, and I love playing in it. All comma errors are mine and mine alone.

This story came from a spooky little nightmare I had not too long ago. It's not really clear how it's going to end -

My Spooky Nightmare – A Second Chance at Life

Chapter 2 – Life as a Captive

I woke up cold and weak. As I came to, I felt the urge to throw up. I had vague memoires of having thrown up recently, and my abdomen seemed worn out from the repeated action.

I realized that I was lying on the ground of the forest, shivering from the cold. My entire body ached.

After struggling into a sitting position, I looked around. It was dark, and I couldn't see anything. I slowly began to remember that I had been on a school field trip and had been taken somewhere by a strange man and woman. They had been beautiful but had attacked me. This must be a dream. But when I looked at my wrists in the dim light, I was horrified to see that they were covered in bloody strips of material. It hadn't been a dream, it had been real. _Deep breaths_, I told myself. _Just take deep breaths, and hold off the panic. You have to focus on getting home._

I tried to stand up but quickly fell back down before I could get onto my feet. As I lay on the ground, I realized I must be outdoors as I was lying on a patch of ground covered in dirt and leaves. I also noticed it was silent, which was unusual for a forest. Generally I loved being in the forest, as I spent summers with my dad, Charlie, in a small town called Forks, Washington. After their divorce, Mom had moved with me to Jacksonville, Florida. When I was at Dad's, though, I would go out into the forest and just sit quietly, listening to the sounds. He never let me go out at night.

What time was it? Surely someone would be looking for me.

"Hello?" I called out. "Is anybody there?" No one answered. I realized that if I didn't get up and start moving, I would start suffering from exposure. I had taken a class in school last year on first aid and wilderness survival, so I tried to remember what I had learned, but not much was coming back to me.

Deciding that I had to get warm, I started walking. When I forced myself to stand up, I was startled by how weak I was. It was so dark that I couldn't see when tried to step forward, but. _Just take deep breaths_, I told myself_. One step at a time_, I thought, so I took a step and fought nausea again. Pausing until my stomach settled before taking another step.

I could hear running water, so I decided to head towards the sound. Maybe there would be daylight by the stream, since more sunlight could cut through the area without trees. As I got closer, the vegetation initially became denser. Small twigs slashed at me in the dark, cutting my arms, legs, and face.

Finally I pushed through the brush to a stream bed. I carefully made my way to the bank and bent down to drink. The water was very cold, and I couldn't help but worry that it might not be clean, but I needed something. I started walking along the slippery bank, sliding on the stones and mud as I made my way in the dim light.

I wondered about the two people I had seen last night, and if they were following me. Though I couldn't actually hear anyone, I had the distinct feeling I was being followed. It was more an instinct, like a prickling at the back of my neck. Pushing it back, I swallowed my fear and kept moving.

I kept walking beside the stream. Slowly it became lighter. The vegetation on the sides of the stream bank hadn't thinned so I was still down by the water. As the sun came up, I was still shivering, so as I went around a bend in the stream. That's when I saw a backpack lying on the ground, and I felt hope spring up inside. There might be people nearby.

"Hello," I called out. My voice sounded weak, so I tried again. "Hello? Can anyone hear me? I'm sorry to wake you up, but I'm cold and need help."

There was no answer.

I reached the backpack and leaned down to pick it up. To my horror, I saw a spatter of what looked like blood on it. Jumping away, I slipped and fell in the mud.

I decided to pick it up anyway. It might have a cell phone or something else useful inside.

When I opened it, I saw a sweater and some men's clothes, some energy bars, bags of raisins and bottled water. It was a harness style pack, with a sleeping bag attached below. It suddenly hit me that since whoever had been carrying that pack wasn't sleeping in the sleeping bag, where were they?

I opened the sleeping bag and got inside, zipping it up. I took out an energy bar out of the backpack and started eating. As the sun rose and the temperature got a little warmer, my spirits started to rise as well. Determined to find help, I put on the sweater and walked up the stream bank to see if I could find anyone. I didn't go far into the forest though.

After a few minutes, I could barely hear the stream, so I turned and went back. I knew that when lost, people often walked in circles. As long as I followed the stream, at least I was heading in a single direction. Whether I was heading closer to civilization or farther from it, I couldn't tell.

I walked all day and finally saw a small overpass. A road, I had come across a road! I scrambled up the stream bank, and walked towards the road, filled with hope. All I had to do was follow the road. Someone would drive along eventually, and they would find me.

Soon I heard a car. I tuned to face the car, and stepping slightly into the road so the driver couldn't miss seeing me. Taking off the sweater so my bandages would show, I hoped that whoever was passing would stop when they saw I was injured.

A black Jeep pulled into view and started to slow down. Two men were inside, wearing plaid shirts, dressed like hunters. They stopped, and the driver opened the door.

"Thank you for stopping," I called to them gratefully, running towards the car.

"Are you hurt? What are you doing out here alone?" the man asked, stepping out of his car. He stepped forward as I stumbled along the change in the grade at the edge of the road.

Just as he reached me, he vanished in a blur. He reappeared an instant later, pinned to a nearby tree by the throat, held by the blond man who I had seen last night. I started to shake. The hunter looked at me in a puzzled way and tried to talk. The blond man suddenly leaned forward started tearing at the man's throat with his mouth. I heard a noise behind me and saw the second man lying on the road, with the red-headed woman on top of him. She was bent over him, with her head on his throat as well.

Within minutes, the pair had finished with the two hunters and looked up. They smiled at each other, their mouths soaked with blood. Who were these people? Were they even human?

The blond man laughed, and the woman joined in.

"She is fun," he said as he walked to my side. He started playing with my hair.

The woman walked up to me as well. "Yes, we should leave her alive a bit longer. She does taste sweet," she continued, leaning over my neck.

"Who are you?" I asked again, trying to sound strong, despite the fact that I was so terrified I was struggling to just breathe.

The man just laughed and went back to the hunter he had left by the trees. He went through his clothes and took what appeared to be a wallet, cell phone, and a few other items from the body. Then he tore the body up with his bare hands and tossed it back into the forest. The woman did the same with the body on the road.

The blond man picked me up and put me in the back of the Jeep. "Try to jump out and I will put you in the trunk," he said casually.

They both got in the front seat and began to drive.

We traveled this way for three years. They would let me out so that I would try to run, and then hunt down whoever I found. Occasionally they would bite my wrists and take some blood. Each time I would pass out, and I began to hope that this time I wouldn't wake up. I only knew the date because sometimes there would be a newspaper in the cars they stole from their victims. The three of us were living off of those cars, the various items they found in them, and, I suspected, the contents of the wallets of their victims.

Occasionally they would appear with a bag of groceries filled with food for me, but we never stayed in one place for long. We kept driving through woods and occasionally desert, but we never stopped in a town. They seemed to drive around the bigger cities, and just drove quickly through the small ones. I never learned their names, and they barely spoke to me.

In the three years, I would try to leave fingerprints in the cars they stole, hoping someone would fingerprint the stolen cars and get word back to my Dad. But I couldn't remember whether I had ever had a fingerprint taken. Probably the police who found these cars thought I was one of the murderers. If I was ever found, they would put me in jail.

SO, SHOULD I CONTINUE?

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	3. Chapter 3 - AN - system issues

This is not a Chapter.

I was having problems with FanFiction on Friday, the day I originally tried to post chapter 2 of Spooky Nightmare . I ended up having to re-post the chapter, as I couldn't view it.

However, it is possible that other people might have been able to view the chapter on Friday, and someone could have posted a review, which I could not access.

As I promise a preview of the next chapter to all reviewers, if anyone didn't get a preview it means I couldn't access your review. Please PM me, or post your review to this chapter, so I can send you your preview.

Next "real" chapter will be up in a few days.

Sorry for the note, but don't want anyone not to get the preview because of my technical problems with FanFiction.


	4. Chapter 3 - Rescue

In her Twilight series, Stephenie Meyer created a world unlike any other. She owns this world, and I love playing in it. All comma errors are mine and mine alone.

This story came from a spooky little nightmare I had not too long ago. It's not really clear how it's going to end -

My Spooky Nightmare - A Second Chance at Life

Chapter 3 - Rescue

I no longer tried to escape or leave the cars we drove in. Now the man had to drag me out of whatever car we were in before slitting my arms so that I bled. He would paint the blood onto my face and shirt, and then he would leave me leaning against one of the tires or lying at the side of the road. I would remain motionless in whatever position he left me, while the woman giggled.

"You are such an artist," she would tell him. "But it seems such a waste of something that tastes so sweet, using her blood as paint."

"Patience," he would answer, and then they would go to the side of the road. His last action before the two would disappear into the forest would usually be flattening a tire of the car with his fingernail. He would nod at me from over his shoulder just before they vanished from sight.

In the beginning, there were a few times that I had tried crawling under the car or dragging myself out of sight into a ditch by the side of the road, hoping that passing cars wouldn't stop, but the duo would immediately appear and place me back on the road. Sometimes he would punch me in the gut so that it hurt too much to move.

Someone would always stop, with the same consequences. The good Samaritans would become the couple's dinner, and occasionally, I would serve as dessert. But I always woke up afterwards, forced to face another day.

On this particular day, though, everything changed. As I sat against the tire, I saw a red Jeep coming towards me. Initially it passed by, but then it stopped and backed down the road towards me. The three occupants seemed to be arguing.

"Don't get out of the car, keep moving," I mumbled quietly. I knew they couldn't hear me, but I felt that I should at least try to warn them.

Suddenly a short, black-haired girl was in front of me. "Are you ok?" she asked softly. It was almost like she was holding her breath. With a flash of terror I realized that she was inhumanly beautiful too, just like the two creeps who had been dragging me around with them for the past three years.

Instantly, my kidnappers reappeared. They hissed at the girl, and suddenly they were all three gone from in front of me. I heard terrifying snarls and a sound like metal being torn apart from the woods nearby. Then I smelled something sickly sweet burning. I waited, but no one came out of the woods.

A short time later, a second car pulled up. I closed my eyes again. I opened them quickly though when I realized that someone was standing in front of me. The stranger leaned over me, and when I looked up, I was gazing into the amber eyes of a tall man with blond hair.

"Shh, shh, don't be afraid. I'm a doctor. I'm going to look at your injuries. Where are you hurt?" he asked gently.

"You need to leave, they will be back to kill you," I whispered, looking around in terror.

"Don't worry about those two. My sons are taking care of them. What is your name? I'll call your parents," he said calmly.

"Isabella Swan. Bella Swan. I'm Renee Swan's daughter. I live in Jacksonville, Florida," I babbled as I started to cry. Could it be true? Was this whole nightmare over?

The blond doctor held out his gloved hand to help me stand up. I stumbled as I rose, and he reached out to right me. I was so wobbly that he finally lifted me and walked back to his car with me in his arms, carrying me as easily as if I were weightless. With a shudder, it occurred to me that he was as strong and handsome as my kidnapper. Yet somehow I felt safe with him, whereas I had immediately felt threatened by the other two.

The doctor opened his car's passenger door and set me inside. While he leaned over me to buckle the seatbelt, I glanced around the car. It looked very expensive, with black leather interiors and a Mercedes logo.

When he was finished buckling me in, he got in on the driver's side and started the engine. "I'm going to take you to a hospital," he said.

"Thank you," was all I could reply.

When I looked behind us, I didn't see the red Jeep or the other three who had originally stopped to help me. I remembered thinking that there were two boys and a girl in the Jeep.

He drove swiftly and soon pulled up in front of a hospital. There was a wheelchair outside. The doctor carefully put me in it and then caught the eye of the triage nurse at a desk through the glass door. I saw her put her papers aside and motion towards the door to someone inside the building. The doctor went back to the car, and I assumed he was moving it out of the drop off area. But instead he quickly pulled away from the hospital and didn't come back.

I started to get up from the chair, but an orderly came outside. He gestured for me to remain seated, and when he reached me, he knelt by the side of the wheelchair.

"Are you ok?" he asked, looking up at me.

"No," I replied starting to cry, as the terror of the past three years began to break through. "We must go inside quickly, they might come. They will kill you…get the cops…call my Dad…" my words just began to tumble out.

The orderly immediately jumped up and pushed me inside, hitting an alarm button on the wall. My relief at the sound of the blaring alarm was the last thing I remember as we entered the building, realizing that my nightmare was over.

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	5. Chapter 4 - Hospita then Home

In her Twilight series, Stephenie Meyer created a world unlike any other. She owns this world, and I love playing in it. All comma errors are mine and mine alone.

This story came from a spooky little nightmare I had not too long ago. It's not really clear how it's going to end -

Spooky Nightmare – A Second Chance at Life

Chapter 4 – Hospital / Home

I woke up in the Emergency Room on a bed surrounded by nurses and security guards. They had put a blood pressure cuff on my arm and started an I.V. line. As I looked around, the nurse leaning over me asked, "Honey, tell us what is going on. Are you hurt?"

I struggled to sit up. "I was kidnapped, I don't know how long ago. I tried leaving my prints in the cars they stole. My fingerprints are probably on police reports, but I didn't do it, they did…"

A doctor came in from behind the curtain holding a clipboard. He spoke quietly to the nurse and guards before turning to me. "We're going to do an exam, and then call someone for you. How old are you again?" he asked.

I paused. "What day is today?" I asked.

"Tuesday, June 5th," he replied.

"What year?" I asked slowly.

The doctor paused a second before answering, "It's 2012."

"Then I'm sixteen. The day I was grabbed by two people I was on a field trip with my 7th grade class in Jacksonville, Florida. My name is Isabella Swan."

One of the guards left the area after making a note on his pad, pulling his phone out of his pocket as he walked around the curtain. The doctor and nurse began their exam, drawing blood, prodding at me, and examining my various bruises. My arms and had multiple scars from where the couple had cut me with their fingernails to make me bleed in order to stop passers-by. When the doctor asked how I had gotten these, I told him. He pursed his lips, and the cops shuffled their feet uneasily.

After about a half hour of this, a new woman pulled back the curtain and joined us. She was wearing a business suit and had a kind, tired smile. "My name is Mrs. Beacon," she said. "I am the hospital social worker. I just spoke to Renee Swan, your mother. She is planning to fly out here and will be calling back once she gets her flight arrangements finalized. I told her you would be able to talk to her once your medical exam was over."

After the exam was finally done, the staff left me alone for a while. I lay on my back, staring up at the neon lights on the ceiling. It was hard to believe I was finally free.

Renee and Charlie came about an hour apart. Renee quickly grabbed me into a hug, and then alternated between the hug and pulling back to stroke my face. We both took turns crying and just saying one another's name, over and over. When Charlie arrived, he kind of stood awkwardly by my bedside. He was glad to be there, but didn't know what to do. Renee appeared to be handling the emotions for both of them, I thought to myself. They both appeared to have aged since I last saw them.

Once I was assigned to my hospital room, they both walked with me as the orderly pushed my wheelchair up to the third floor. Charlie seemed relieved to be able to sink into one of the chairs and just look around. I noticed there was a guard at the door, and eventually I could see news media vans outside. One of the LVN's who came in told me that I was quite the celebrity. Everyone wanted an interview, she told me. All the news stations and magazines had reporters at the hospital.

Renee stopped them all. Even the doctors had a tough time getting past her. I only wished that the blood drawing techs would have been stopped, but they got through without any trouble. She took one look at their little buckets with the tubes and orders, and she always let them right on in. Traitor!

After a few days, the medical staff declared I could be discharged. Before I left, they did several psychiatric consults. I quickly figured out that the doctors became particularly quiet and interested when I told them about the kidnapping couple's inhuman speed and beauty. Although the medical staff kept their professional cool, Renee couldn't hide her feelings, as she bit her lip nervously whenever I described these parts of my ordeal. I began to backpedal on my statements about how the two kidnappers couldn't have been human. Eventually I overheard the doctors telling my parents that they thought I had attributed superhuman traits to my kidnappers to explain my inability to escape, but that as I felt more secure, I was beginning to become more lucid. My goal immediately became to appear lucid so I could go home and be normal.

My efforts at appearing normal seemed to be succeeding when it was decided that I would go back to Forks with Charlie to finish high school. Forks was a small town, and I was known there from before the kidnapping. I had been a good student, and the school district was willing to work with me to help me get caught up. The decision was made to place me in various classes based on my test scores.

I spent the summer with tutors and counselors, burying myself in reading and schoolwork, trying to forget the memories. But they were stubborn, and I woke up screaming several times a night.

So when fall rolled around, I went for my first day of school. I was met with some stares, but apparently, in a town this size, the principal had met with every family, and asked that I be treated as normally as possible.

As normal as possible living in a small town where the sympathetic grocery store clerks kept grabbing copies of the National Enquirer off of the magazine rack every time I walked through the door of the Thriftway. I had spotted the headlines, and they screamed things like: "Girl Kidnapped by Vampire!" "Missing Girl Tells of Vampire Ordeal!"

It appeared that while one ordeal had ended, another was about to begin.

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	6. Chapter 5 - School

In her Twilight series, Stephenie Meyer created a world unlike any other. She owns this world, and I love playing in it. All comma errors are mine and mine alone.

This story came from a spooky little nightmare I had not too long ago. It's not really clear how it's going to end -

Spooky Nightmare – A Second Chance at Life

Chapter 5 – School

_So when fall rolled around, I went for my first day of school. I was met with some stares, but apparently, in a town this size, the principal had managed to meet with every family, and asked that I be treated as normally as possible. _

_As normal as possible living in a small town where the sympathetic grocery store clerks kept grabbing copies of the National Enquirer off of the magazine rack every time I walked through the door of the Thriftway. I had spotted the headlines, and they screamed things like: "Girl Kidnapped by Vampire!" "Missing Girl Tells of Vampire Ordeal!"_

_It appeared that while one ordeal had ended, another was about to begin._

On my first day at Forks High School, while there were some phony smiles, overall it seemed that the kids were trying to be cool. I ended up spending time between classes with three girls, Jessica, Lauren, and Angela.

The morning went OK enough, and they met me for lunch. I was happy to be falling into some kind of routine, even if it was just being bored in class. We were settling in at our table by the lunch room window, and I was trying to ignore the stares.

Suddenly, all eyes moved from me. Someone new had walked into the cafeteria, and they had taken on the lunch room's full attention.

"That's the Cullen family," said Jessica in a conspiratorial whisper. "They just moved down here from Alaska. Got here last weekend, I guess their house wasn't ready before. They bought that big mansion on the edge of town. It had been on the market forever."

Jess continued to talk as I looked over at the table of newcomers. Only to find staring back at me were the three people from the red Jeep.

We all froze.

What was I supposed to do? Maybe I really was insane, after all. I had thought when I met them on that road, that since they had the same beauty and speed that the kidnappers had, that they were vampires as well. But if they were vampires, what the heck were they doing in a high school cafeteria?

I decided to take the opportunity to thank them, whatever they might be. So I took a deep breath and stood up, unsteadily, and started walking in their direction. The black-haired girl smiled at me brightly; the others looked worried.

"Hello," I said. I didn't know what to say next.

"Hi, I'm Alice," said the girl with the short black hair. "We just moved here from Anchorage. It's a pleasure to meet you. We're going to be great friends, I just know it."

I nodded. No one was talking about it. Maybe I was wrong about who they were? I didn't think so, as she had that same face. Two of the boys at the table resembled the two that had been in the jeep. One was a tall muscular guy with dark, curly hair. The other was a lanky, blond guy who looked a lot tougher when I got close up. There were two others with Alice as well. The first was a gorgeous blonde girl, who was clearly attached to Emmett, and the second was a bronze-haired guy with coal black eyes. His glare was as scary as the blond kidnapper's appraising ice-blue eyes somehow.

Suddenly I was broken from my thoughts as I realized Alice was still talking to me. "This is my brother, Edward," Alice continued, clearly referring to the guy with the intense gaze. "He has biology lab with you, next class, right Edward? And everything is going to be just fine…"

"Actually, Alice, I'm not feeling very well," Edward said. "I think I may need to see the nurse and maybe go home." And it's true, he didn't look good. He looked angry more than anything else, though.

"Not a bad idea," murmured the blond brother. "I'll drive you home and then bring the car back to pick up the others."

They made their good-byes, and somehow I felt uncomfortable standing at the table. I awkwardly mumbled something about my lunch getting cold and turned to walk back to Angela and Jessica.

"See you soon," called Alice, sounding genuinely disappointed to see me leave. I half-turned to smile at her, and then rejoined my friends.

"What was that, did you know them?" breathed Jessica, pouncing on me as soon as I returned.

"I thought I had seen them somewhere in Florida, but I guess not. You know how it is when someone looks like somebody you think you know…"I paused, realizing that nobody looked like them.

"Oh, were you interviewed on some kind of big movie set?" asked Jessica.

Angela nudged her, and Jessica turned to her, exasperated. "What? She's been in the magazines, everybody knows that; maybe she met some movie people. What was it like, being interviewed?"

"I never actually talked to any reporters, my Mom always kept them at a distance," I mumbled. Just then bell rang, signaling the beginning of the next period. Feeling like I had literally been saved by the bell, I dumped my barely-touched tray of food into the nearest trash container, and headed for my next class.

The rest of the day passed slowly, and I felt as though I was being watched all the time. I did my best to avoid Jessica, but she appeared wherever I went. It was such a small school that this wasn't a surprise, I thought wryly to myself.

I got through it all, somehow. By the end of the day, I just wanted it to be over. After last period, I hung around for a while, hoping that everyone else would have left before I went outside. All I wanted was to go home and bury myself under the covers.

But as I walked to the parking lot after school, I saw that Alice had lingered behind. When she saw me, she smiled brightly in my direction while waving the others to go on. After they drove off, she danced over to me and said she wanted to come to my house. When we got in my car, though, she rooted through her purse, and declared we had to go by her house first. She had left her asthma inhaler lying on the kitchen counter.

Well, I knew that was important, so I drove my truck at its top speed, nearly 48 mph, down the freeway. I followed her directions up a private road and eventually pulled in front of a house. My jaw nearly dropped when I saw it. I had spent summers in Forks, and I had no idea that Forks had its own mansion! But there it was, a huge white house, three stories high, with a wraparound porch and rose bushes lining the front.

We went inside. As we entered the living room where her siblings were waiting, I could feel the tension from the others, but she asked me upstairs. About an hour later, I heard another car pull up.

"Come downstairs, there is someone else you need to meet," she said.

The door opened, and a blond man stood in the door, stunned at the sight of me. It was the doctor who had dropped me off at the hospital.

"Hi," I said awkwardly. "Um, I never got a chance to thank you for…that day, you know."

He seemed to snap out of it, and stepped forward towards me, glancing between Alice and myself. "It's a pleasure to see you, Miss Swan, I believe?" he asked. "You must have thought it very odd that I drove off, but I had my reasons," he continued.

"I'm not worried about your reasons. You saved my life," I said simply.

He nodded, and stepped to one side as Edward came in behind him. As soon as he stepped in the door, Edward stiffened, and I watched as his eyes went black.

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	7. Chapter 6 - Explanation

In her Twilight series, Stephenie Meyer created a world unlike any other. She owns this world, and I love playing in it. All comma errors are mine and mine alone.

This story came from a spooky little nightmare I had not too long ago. It's not really clear how it's going to end -

Spooky Nightmare – A Second Chance at Life

Chapter 5 – the Explanation

_The door opened, and a blond man stood in the door, stunned at the sight of me. It was the doctor who had dropped me off at the hospital._

"_Hi," I said awkwardly. "Um, I never got a chance to thank you for…that day, you know."_

_He seemed to snap out of it, and stepped forward towards me, glancing between Alice and myself. "It's a pleasure to see you, Miss Swan, I believe?" he asked. "You must have thought it very odd that I drove off, but I had my reasons."_

"_I'm not worried about your reasons. You saved my life," I said simply._

_He nodded, and stepped to one side as Edward came in behind him. As soon as he stepped in the door, Edward stiffened, and I watched as his eyes went black. _

The doctor gave a barely perceptible nod to the two other brothers, Emmett and Jasper, who had come into the kitchen behind us. Instantly, they were on either side of Edward, pinning his arms. Edward began to thrash in their grip, leaning towards me.

"She's been through enough, bro, don't you think?" Emmett muttered in a low voice. The blond brother, Jasper, began to pull Edward out the door as Carlisle stepped between us. As soon as the three were outside, Dr. Cullen closed the door then turned back to me.

"I feel I owe you an explanation, Miss Swan," the doctor began.

Something about this was not feeling right.

"No, you saved my life. I just wanted to thank you and go home again," I said, trying to slip past him.

That didn't work. Dr. Cullen put out his arm to stop me, but said gently, "You must talk to us, my dear."

I turned back around. After all, I didn't really want to be out there with Edward right now, did I? Why had I walked up to their table at school? I knew they were different; I should have just left it alone.

"Why did you come here today," asked Dr. Cullen.

"Alice invited me, she said…"

"I lied to get her here, Carlisle," Alice blurted out in an urgent tone. "They're looking for her; I saw it. They've left Florida, and it won't take them long," said Alice.

Dr. Cullen looked at Alice and nodded. "You know we're like them, correct?" he said, turning to me

"Yes, but you won't hurt me. Will you?"

Dr. Cullen stroked his chin thoughtfully but shook his head. "No, my dear, we won't intentionally hurt you, but as you saw from my son's behavior, we are not without temptation. But there are rules among our kind about not allowing humans to know of our existence. And there was a story in the National Enquirer…"

I had seen it. Photos of me in my hospital bed, with captions like "Girl Held by Blood-Sucking Monsters for Three Years!"

My shoulders sagged, and I slipped down onto one of the dining room chairs. "It's never going to end, is it?" I said in an exhausted voice.

Dr. Cullen pulled a chair up next to me and sat down. He reached out for one of my hands. "This is partially my fault. If I hadn't left you at the hospital the way I did, your story wouldn't have been leaked to my paper. My family could have arranged to make sure that your privacy was protected. But we must decide on the next steps. We can't stay here; our 'vegetarian' lifestyle already draws too much attention. There was a brief description of your 'saviors' in some of those stories, and we could be identified by anyone knowledgeable of our ways if they read carefully enough. Those of our kind looking for you may well come here to ask us for information, and we could be considered liable for this kind of exposure."

I heard the backdoor open, and Jasper walked in. He and Carlisle had a quick conversation in a voice too low for me to hear. Alice came over and stood next to me. "I never should have left you back there on that road in Florida. I should have come back and gone with you to the hospital. I knew it; I just knew it," she kept mumbling.

Dr. Cullen and Jasper looked up from their consultation. "We won't be deciding anything tonight," Dr. Cullen said. I heard Alice mutter, "Yeah, right."

The doctor shot her a stern look then turned back to me with a kind smile. "I'm going to call your father and ask him to come pick you up."

I started to protest, as I had driven my car, after all, but Dr. Cullen put up his hand to forestall me.

"No, I have a few things I need to tell Charlie myself," he said.

"Why don't you have something to eat while we wait for your father, dear," said Alice's mother. "I could make you a sandwich. I'm sure you haven't eaten dinner, have you?"

"No," chimed in Alice, "and she didn't eat lunch either."

So I sat in the kitchen, being waited on by Alice and her mother, Esme, while we waited for Charlie to arrive. It only took him a few minutes to drive over and park his cruiser behind my truck.

I heard Emmett greet him outside and bring him to the door. As soon as he walked in though, I could tell he was worried. Dr. Cullen quickly invited to take a seat next to me at the dining room table. Charlie sat down next to me, glancing me over, and seemed reassured that I appeared to be all right.

"Charlie," began Dr. Cullen. "I have to tell you that I was the Good Samaritan who dropped Bella at the hospital."

"But why? Why didn't you stay? You could have given so much information; maybe we could have caught these guys…"

"I couldn't stay. As you know, these are my foster children. As they are approaching majority, my wife would like to adopt more, younger children. I didn't want to draw attention to my family that might make adoption agencies look at our petitions less than favorably."

Charlie shuffled for a moment, and then said, "Well, while I can understand that, I would still like to take a statement. I can try to keep it anonymous, but I can't sleep nights, thinking they might have another girl somewhere…"

"I can assure you that they do not," replied Dr. Cullen coolly. "My sons saw them cutting and abandoning your daughter by the road as they drove up. While my daughter went to see about her, my sons ran the two down and killed them in the forest. You won't find the bodies."

I gasped, and Charlie looked at me. I knew that my rescuers had done something, but I never was exactly sure of what.

"You can see why I didn't want to stay," Dr. Cullen continued. "My sons are young, and I was protecting my family. I assessed her condition quickly and could tell her primary problem was dehydration. I got her to a facility and waited to see that she was safely inside. Once the orderly had taken her indoors, I left to rejoin my sons. It may have been cowardly, but I am a family man. My sons came first, after I saw that your daughter was safe. I hope you'll understand."

Charlie looked as if he was struggling with himself. "Well," he finally said, "with foster five children, I can see that you are a family man. And our town needs a good doctor."

"We'll be leaving town tomorrow." Carlisle's statement brought a gasp from Alice, but Carlisle raised his hand and continued. "When I found your daughter on the road last spring, she told me that she lived in Florida. We would never have come here if I had known she would be here."

"Dad," I said, "they have to go. And I want to go with them."

Now even Carlisle was shocked. "What?"

"They could be in trouble for helping me. So I'm going with them. That would be the best thing to do, right?" I said, turning to look at Carlisle.

The big guy, Emmett started to laugh. "Excuse me for saying so, Sir, but you raised a live one!"

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	8. Chapter 7 - Planning the Trip

In her Twilight series, Stephenie Meyer created a world unlike any other. She owns this world, and I love playing in it. All comma errors are mine and mine alone.

This story came from a spooky little nightmare I had not too long ago. It's not really clear how it's going to end -

Spooky Nightmare – A Second Chance at Life

Chapter 7 – Planning the Trip

"_We'll be leaving town tomorrow." This statement brought a gasp from Alice, but Carlisle raised his hand and continued. "Your daughter told me in the car that she lived in Florida; we would never have come here if we had known she would be here."_

"_Dad," I said, "they have to go. And I want to go with them."_

_Now even Carlisle was shocked. "What?"_

"_No," I replied. "They could be in trouble for helping me. I'm going with them, right? That would be the best thing to do?"_

_The big guy, Emmett started to laugh. "Excuse me for saying so, Sir, but you raised a live one!"_

"Emmett, stop it," said Mrs. Cullen. "I think my son may be correct though. One of my husband's other offers was at a drug research facility in South America. It is highly experimental, and is also used to do environmental research. We would be gathering and cataloguing flowers and plants for possible uses in medicines. Your daughter could accompany us. I have a teaching credential, so I could help prepare her for her GED. She would be away from the stares and reporters, who will find this city and descend on her. And she would get some interesting experiences for her college admissions."

I was stunned.

"Well, this is sudden," Charlie finally stated, looking between Mrs. Cullen and myself. "No decision will be made tonight, though," he said firmly as he rose from his chair. "Good-night, Dr. Cullen, Mrs. Cullen," he said, as he took me by the elbow and walked us out the door.

The drive home was silent. Charlie wasn't a talker, and I had to think about my rash statement. But once I had declared I would be going with the Cullens, wherever they went, I was immediately sure it had been the right thing to do. Now all I had to do was get Charlie to accept this necessity without my being able to explain the urgency behind my plan. How could I tell him that if I didn't go, I risked being hunted down and killed by vampires who were determined to keep their existence secret?

As we drove up to the house, we found Billy was already waiting for us in the driveway. He had some of Harry Clearwater's fish fry with him, as well as his son Jacob.

"Hey, Chief. Everything ok?"

"It is now. We're home," mumbled Charlie, as he almost dragged me into the house by my elbow.

Billy was silenced by Charlie's grim look. He and Jacob quietly followed us inside. Billy set the fish fry on the table, while Jacob began moving around the kitchen getting things ready for dinner. It was clear from the ease with which they moved that they had spent a lot of time doing this.

I started hurting even more inside as I realized they had been spending time with Charlie while I was gone, and now I was telling him I was leaving again.

How could I make him understand I wouldn't survive if I stayed with him?

I looked down, biting my lip. Suddenly I felt Billy at my side. "It's all right, Bella," he said softly. "We're here when you need us."

"He's going to need you more," I said softly. "I have to go."

Jacob dropped the plate he was holding. "Wait, what? Go? Go where? You just got here! What is this, Charlie?"

Charlie looked down.

"It's the tabloids. The reporters have been hounding her. She has an offer to go…study abroad for a while. Just until their interest dies down, and they move onto the next freak shows. Then she'll be back here, for college. Right?"

I hated lying, but I had to make him let me go. "Right," I said. "Have you seen the headlines? Even if Thriftway and the other stores pull the papers, it's still on-line. I can't escape it."

Dinner was not a pleasant affair, as Billy in particular was adamant that I not leave once he found out the Cullens were involved. But I realized that Charlie was already accepting my decision, I felt a bit easier about my pending departure.

The situation resolved itself when the reporters showed up at the high school the next day. By the end of the week, the newsstands were carrying the article entitled "Bella Swan PREGNANT – full details of heartbreaking revelation inside." They had a photo of me by the Forks High School sign.

We worked it out with Charlie. I would leave Forks and go with the Cullens to Brazil. From there, we would be going to some medical research facility.

I had always dreamed of traveling. Well, traveling somewhere interesting, that is. I had gone with Renee and Phil on the road to his baseball games, but that was life in a car or bus, sleeping at inexpensive hotel rooms that smelled of cleaning solvents, in beds with scratchy sheets.

I wanted to go somewhere I had read about in books, like Europe, or maybe Africa or China. South America had not been on my list, and my visions of it came primarily from horror movies.

It seems the Cullen family had gone there occasionally, though. They talked to Charlie about previous trips they had made to the continent, and friends that Carlisle had in Brazil, which is where we were going.

On the appointed day, I was packed and ready to go. I didn't have much to pack, as a single suitcase held most of my belongings. Dr. and Mrs. Cullen showed up promptly at 9:00 to pick me up, and after a last hug from Charlie, I got into the car and we drove off.

When we got to their house, to pick up the rest of their family, I found that their house was already set for storage, with covers over the furniture, and suitcases in the cars. We drove in to Seattle in two cars. I rode with Esme and Carlisle, as they insisted I call them, and Edward. The two couples drove Emmett's red Jeep, which I remembered from the rescue months earlier.

"So. Where is this facility?" I asked, as we arrived at the airport in Seattle and waited while the flight crew loaded our luggage onto the plane.

"There is no facility, Bella. We're just going upriver to an interesting location we had scouted on a previous trip," said Carlisle.

"Lots of jaguars and anacondas, though!" said Emmett excitedly. "We're going straight up the river, into...the Heart of Darkness," he said in a deep, evil-announcer type voice.

I shuddered and started to panic, then realized there weren't a lot of options. Esme shot Emmett a look, and he looked chagrined. "Sorry, kid. I was just fooling. Besides, we're here to protect you."

"Other than you, are there any other, um,…. mythic creatures out there?" I asked, feeling foolish, but deciding to get the question that had been bothering me out in the open.

"There are books and legends describing many others, but we've never met any. Most of them appear to be cover-ups by others of our kind," replied Jasper.

As he spoke, I began to feel calmer. I glanced up at him, only to find him coolly appraising me.

Carlisle showed me our route on a map once we left for Manaus, Brazil. My knowledge of the country was rather limited. I had heard of Rio de Janerio, but this was someplace different. It seems it is considered a gateway to the Amazon rain forest, and we would be going up the Rio Negro by boat to our final destination.

Usually the family traveled easily overland, but since they were traveling with me and were bringing a household, mostly for my benefit I realized to my chagrin, they had chartered a boat.

There were many boats in the area, but the Cullens wanted one that would get them close to the remote region where we would be staying, so they bought a medium sized house boat with a few smaller boats to move back and forth between land and the larger boat. I marveled at all of the family's ease with Portuguese and the other local languages during the various transactions. Esme, who stayed next to me at all times, gave me the highlight of all the family's negotiations. After getting all of the nautical gear in order, we took off on the 900 miles up the river to the heart of the forest.

I wondered why we didn't travel up the Amazon River itself, but Edward explained that the banks were heavily settled. As we made our way upriver into the interior, passing from the cities into the jungle, I spent as much time as possible on the deck, watching the scenery as I lazed in the deck chairs soaking up the sunlight. I loved the heat. The humidity was intense, and I was quickly soaked with sweat, but I had always been a sun worshipper. Back before…I shuddered, trying to dismiss the memories of my kidnapping that I worked so hard to keep out of the forefront of my thoughts.

I kept my focus on the shoreline, looking for animals. The trees that lined the river were filled with life. I seldom saw more than a flash of color from a passing bird, but I constant heard the calls of monkeys and other animals. And the activity was not just limited to the river banks. The river itself was full of life. Many of the lily pads in the river looked over five feet across, and sometimes I felt we were being watched by eyes peeking out from under the pads. Jasper came over and pointed out the pink dolphins that were in the river and quietly suggested they were what I was seeing.

But I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.

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	9. Chapter 8 - Building a Building

In her Twilight series, Stephenie Meyer created a world unlike any other. She owns this world, and I love playing in it. All comma errors are mine and mine alone.

This story came from a spooky little nightmare I had not too long ago. It's not really clear how it's going to end -

Spooky Nightmare – A Second Chance at Life

Chapter 7 – Building – a building!

Eventually, after a few days of cruising up the river, Carlisle declared that we had arrived. Emmett and Jasper anchored the boat, and I waited to be taken ashore to…some place, anyway. And that's when I found out they didn't have a research building yet. Yep, they were just going to build one. Right out in the middle of the jungle.

"Did you just dream this up to get me away?" I asked Carlisle. "What are you getting me away from?"

"The reporters, of course, and… other interested parties. There are rules regarding humans knowing about vampires in our world. But you're here with us, and no one else is even close. That should be enough," he said.

"Who makes up rules for vampires?" I asked.

"We have a kind of ruling class, a group of vampires called the Volturi. They live in Italy, and they have established themselves as the preservers of our kind's way of life. The Volturi are different from us in important ways, though. They have no respect for human life, for instance."

"So they have red eyes, like my kidnappers?" I asked.

"Precisely. They are human drinkers, and the three Volturi brothers are thousands of years old, as well," he answered.

"Just how old are you, anyway?" I asked bluntly, feeling embarrassed almost as soon as the words came out of my mouth.

But Carlisle didn't seem offended. "I'm the oldest of my family. I was born in 1640 in London and was changed in 1663. I changed Edward in 1918 and changed Esme, Rosalie and Emmett after that. I didn't change Jasper and Alice, they each had separate creators. Jasper was changed in the 1860's, and Alice was changed in 1920. They found each other in 1948 and joined us in 1950."

I was in awe at their ages. They all looked between 17 and 25 years old, of course. I wondered how old my kidnappers had been, and then I shuddered, thinking about how they might have been out killing people for decades, if not centuries.

Somehow, I knew I would feel better if we had a real house, somewhere out here. It didn't take long for a team of vampires to clear a large area and start construction. While we lived on the boat for the most part, they quickly built mini-houses, including bathrooms, to use as rest areas during the day as they worked on the research center.

While the others worked on the main building, Esme took me out on small expeditions to gather flower and plant samples. As we worked, she chattered about their project. She was clearly excited about this endeavor, as she had designed the research center on our trip down the river. Much of her inspiration was taken from Frank Lloyd Wright studios, as she liked the idea of the building fitting into the landscape. In her design, the main building was partially sheltered by a rocky outcropping that was part of a cliff, close to a beautiful waterfall.

Emmett just grunted at every new innovation Esme announced, especially the glass she wanted to use. "That's all going to be custom. It'll be fun to bring up here."

"If you can't bring it in by boat, you'll just need to start building a road to this location then," she said firmly.

I laughed to myself, watching the exchange. Esme seemed so warm and motherly, but if you crossed her, she turned into a strong person who didn't hesitate to give orders and keep the others in line.

Jasper jumped into their conversation at this point, though. "How about an air strip? We can fly things in and make efforts to make the runway less visible by air." That suggestion got the boys talking and planning again. They griped a lot, but I could see the excitement in their eyes at every turn of the project.

Esme and I continued gathering and preparing the plants for analysis. I enjoyed this project, as it was something I could contribute to. It was very close work, though. Carlisle would set out a grid for me with several stakes and rope, and my job was to catalogue everything inside the square. I was amazed at the amount of life I could find inside such a small area. Somehow I always associated a staked area with death: the field expeditions of paleontologists seeking dinosaur bones, or part of the analysis done by the detectives and crime technicians on TV shows. But my squares involved cataloguing life. And there was a lot of life out here in the jungle.

Although at first glance the ground cover looked uniform. But when you sat down with a magnifying box with a x4 magnification lens, it turned out there were a large number of plants to be found. Of course the fact that beetles and other animals would cross into the grid when I sat silently sketching helped make the sample change by the minute. I would photograph each small patch I worked, and then would being to sketch the plants and animals I found. Sketching was something I always enjoyed. I had hoped to be a graphic artist or designed someday. I kept thinking that I should keep this up, and keep notebooks to submit to colleges and art schools.

Each evening, Carlisle would review and then praise my day's work, remarking on the close attention I paid to the small areas. With my human sight, that is. Sometimes I would ask Jasper to tell me what he could see that I couldn't. Generally I found his observations a bit unsettling, as I was invariably sitting on or about to be crawled upon by whatever he was describing. His blue eyes always seemed to crinkle with suppressed laughter when I invariably jumped up from where I was sitting after he told me about the bugs headed my way.

But there were plenty of beautiful insects that I could see, including an amazing array of colorful beetles and butterflies. Although a large number of drab insects made their way across my little patches, Emmett found an indigo blue beetle for me, and the next day Edward shyly approached with a green leaf beetle. But Alice surpassed them both when she arrived with a morph butterfly, its pale blue iridescent wings lined with black. Somehow she had kept it calm, and it flew away after I photographed it. Emmett laughingly accused her of "butterfly dazzling," an accusation she answered with a "hmmph", and "you wish."

Alice and Rosalie joined us occasionally, but it turns out the Rosalie was enjoying working on the research building itself. I was surprised that she would want be interested in what amounted to manual labor, as she had seemed so caught up in fashion, with her nails and expensive outfits.

But she said she enjoyed it. The construction process made her feel part of something real, as she put it. "I mean, I've always had family, but this feels real to me somehow. I'm doing something."

As they worked on the main part of the structure of the building, they began to decide how they would power their creation. They set up solar panels to generate electricity but decided to combine it with power from the waterfall.

"The amount of power you would need to produce electricity for a research facility would be clearly visible if you set it up using solar panels alone," Edward declared, looking up from his calculations. He enjoyed acting as the master planner, executing Esme's designs. "So harnessing the waterfall's energy will be essential to the final functioning of the day to day operations. I just hoped there isn't a major shift in the water volume over the course of the year."

Emmett always rolled his eyes when Edward began his pontifications, and Edward always got annoyed at his reaction. All I could think was, _They had been doing this for how long? Almost 80 years._

Although the Cullens always stayed near me, one day as I was walking on the riverbank I heard a a splashing sound. I looked around and saw one of the river dolphins struggling with a bit of net. The poor thing looked exhausted.

I had clippers in my tool belt for gathering plant samples, so I went up to it slowly. I held out my hands as I approached it slowly, and the dolphin seemed to understand I wasn't going to hurt it, and eventually stopped thrashing. The net had caught on a tree root, effectively trapping it half in and half out of the water. I splashed a little water on it, stroking it while trying to help it calm down, and then cut it free.

As it slipped away into the river, it seemed to nod its head gratefully in my directions. I saw two more dolphins approach, and they all three swam away together. I wondered if they had been waiting and watching their fellow dolphin in its distress, unable to help. I was glad I happened along when I did.

After they left, as I examined the net more closely, I saw something sparkle in my hand. I picked through it to find small strands of silver metallic thread woven into the webbing. I decided to show it to Carlisle.

"That's very odd," he said, as he turned the bit of net in his hand after listening to my story. "This is real silver, but very thin. Silver is rumored to have certain powers. I wonder what someone planned to catch in this net?"

"Whatever they were planning to catch, what they caught was that dolphin. Does anyone eat these dolphins?" I asked.

"No, no one I know of eats dolphins," answered Carlisle. "I wouldn't give this any more thought, my dear." I noticed, though, that he put the bit of net into a desk drawer.

Later that night, I thought I saw someone watching me. The guys were out hunting, so I was with Rosalie and Esme. I saw movement by the riverbank, and they looked up when I stood up to get a closer look.

"Is there someone out there?" I asked them.

"No dear. I would hear them, and I would certainly hear a heartbeat," Esme answered gently.

Emmett chose that moment to come back, grinning and complaining at the same time. "You should have seen the massive anaconda I found! I swear, it looked like it had a human body inside! But it turned out that it had swallowed a dolphin. It literally pushed it out of its stomach in its attempt to get away from us! I mean, how big…"

"That's enough, Emmett," hissed Esme, after seeing the expression on my face.

"Well, the anaconda is still out there. Carlisle made me leave it," he said in a disappointed tone, rubbing the back of his head with his hand.

"We're not here to destroy the natural order. That snake was cold-blooded, you wouldn't have eaten it, Emmett," snapped Esme, as she put an arm around me.

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	10. Chapter 9 - Night Terrors and Visitors

In her Twilight series, Stephenie Meyer created a world unlike any other. She owns this world, and I love playing in it.

This story was originally inspired by a spooky little nightmare I had.

My Spooky Nightmare - A Second Chance at Life

Chapter 8 –Night terrors and various visitors

Because of Emmett's discovery of the huge anaconda, the Cullens became even more protective. Jasper remarked encouragingly that it would not be possible for an anaconda of any size to get close to me, as the Cullens would hear its heartbeat and prevent it from getting anywhere close.

That didn't stop Esme from hovering, though. But I had the feeling she wanted to hover.

I called Charlie and Mom as regularly as possible. I had turned 17 shortly after arriving in Brazil, and Renee has been especially upset that I hadn't been home on my birthday. Edward and Emmett spent time coming up with programs to re-route our phone calls so that reporters couldn't trace them. But I was sure there were still people out there that might try to track me down. Call it paranoia, call it three years of being dragged around the country by blood-thirsty monsters, I seldom felt secure.

One night I woke up with the feeling I wasn't alone in my room on the boat. Squinting into the dimly light, I saw a massive anaconda sliding over the window pane and begin making its way across the room. Its oblong topaz eyes were fixed dead on me, and it was reared up, holding its head five feet above the ground as it moved. It looked to be at least two feet around, and its green body had a double row of black oval spots lining its spine. Moving effortlessly toward me, its tongue flicking out to sample the air as it came closer, it quickly reached the foot of the bed and starting to drop its head over me.

I started screaming, and immediately Rose and Carlisle burst through the door. As soon as they hit the door, the snake turned its head and vanished.

"What was it?" said Rose, as she reached out to hold me. "What happened?"

I described the snake, and Carlisle carefully inspected the room. He dutifully looked under the bed and checked the locks on the windows.

"It was just a dream, Isabella. Just a dream," Carlisle pronounced in a calming tone. "See? The windows are all closed. Nothing could have gotten in here, and we would have heard it, remember?"

"What do you hear? I asked.

"Just you, my dear. And your heart is beating very fast. It must have been a terrifying dream, but believe me, a dream is all it was," Carlisle replied.

I was not so sure.

Weeks turned into months, and Christmas rolled around. We knew both my parents' houses were being monitored by the paparazzi, as well as immortals, so I wasn't able to go home for the holidays. Emmett and Edward set up a neutral background behind my chair so I could make calls home on Skype on Christmas Eve, but our time on the phone was limited by how long the Cullens could re-route the calls. It wasn't enough, but at least I felt they were safe. Safer than if I was there.

The living quarters of the research station was almost done. It looked beautiful, built into a hillside. Many trees had been left standing in front of the cliff, so the entrance was still shaded. The building made extensive use of the caves that were in the cliff. Esme's drawings had taken advantage of the honeycomb nature of the natural rocks, running wings of the building deep into the hills. There were wings that held the scientific equipment, microscopes, oscillators (gotta have those for any self-respecting lab!), and rows of refrigerated storage with glass doors and shelving inside.

The living quarters were at the front, with views of the jungle outside. The glass windows were not in place, so their panes were filled with boards until the glass could arrive. The entire front was in glass, or would be when the custom glass, being manufactured at a plant in Germany, finally arrived.

While the work on the construction progressed by the waterfall, I dutifully continued studying the plants and animals in the surrounding area. Sometimes Jasper would join me as I researched my square. He would take a break from his work to come over and sit on the ground next to me. Sometimes he would lie on one side and just watch, other times he would talk a little. He told me he had been changed during the Civil War, but didn't have many human memories.

Instead, he talked about the years he spent wandering. And then after he met the Cullens, he talked about the time he spent in high school, and the hi-jinx Emmett would occasionally be involved in.

But Jasper wasn't the only visitor I had during my days in the field. Several times I saw the shapes of people in the forest, looking at me. One girl in particular seemed to be very interested in being seen, and she occasionally waved to me. They felt familiar somehow. I began to wonder if they were the dolphins. Sometimes I wondered if I was just losing my mind. They always seemed to slip away when the Cullens came to any spot where they could see them. When I asked, the Cullens said all they sensed were the dolphins in the river nearby. I felt it was as if the strangers were playing with the blind spots in the vampires' vision.

But I couldn't shake the image Emmett had given of the boa who had swallowed a dolphin whole. What if it had been one of my shy friends?

A few weeks after my unpleasant night visit, Alice raced up to Carlisle who was laying out the plot for the day's research. She spoke in a low, urgent tone o Carlisle, and whatever she said, it made Esme gasp.

"What's going on? It's about me, isn't it?" I said, as the family quickly gathered.

"Yes, it is. Alice just saw that we will have visitors in the next few weeks. Our kind. But our house will be completed soon, and they should have no problems with the situation. We are clearly far away from other people." He spoke as if he were trying to convince himself, and was failing. Edward's face looked grim, but he quickly composed himself as Emmett elbowed him, gesturing towards me.

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	11. Chapter 10 - Meeting Demetri

In her Twilight series, Stephenie Meyer created a world unlike any other. She owns this world, and I love playing in it.

This story was originally inspired by a spooky little nightmare I had.

My Spooky Nightmare - A Second Chance at Life

Chapter 9 – Meeting Demetri

After Alice's vision of a Volturi visit, the work to finish the main building began at a feverish pace. Fortunately, the order for the windows was rushed at the German factory, so the living quarters were completed the day our Volturi visitor arrived.

Carlisle had put off any other work on the building for a few days, and the Cullens had moved all of their equipment into the unfinished part of the structure. I stepped back to take a look at the front of the striking building that was emerging. Although I had seen Esme's sketches, seeing it without the equipment in front allowed a clearer view of what Esme had been trying to accomplish. The main space in front of the complex was not terribly different from any other clearing in the jungle, because as many trees as possible had been purposefully left on the grounds. You could only see the entrance of the building at ground level, not from above. The cliff overhang masked the building's undulating front wall, which was almost entirely encased in glass. The waterfall next to the main entrance produced a light mist which mingled rainbows among the spray and brought a sense of peace to the scene. The overall effect was of a building peacefully coexisting with the landscape.

Everyone had hunted that morning and then stayed close to home. Carlisle had been playing his cherished operas on the stereo system he had brought from the United States, and without the din from the construction, the music added an odd touch of old-world Europe to this jungle scene. Benches had been brought to the front and placed under the trees, and we all sat outside, watching Jasper and Carlisle playing chess.

I could tell something was up, though. Although the Cullens usually made efforts to "appear human", by fidgeting, today they were nearly frozen in place. It was as if they were using all of their senses in high alert.

Oddly enough, my shy friend appeared from time to time behind one of the trees at the edge of the clearing. She wore her usual white linen dress with a matching hair bow, and her dark eyes twinkled as she caught my eye. She seemed to be enjoying the music but was clearly staying out of the Cullens' sight lines. I realized this was a skill, and wondered if she was staying out of sight because even other immortals feared vampires. I thought I would run this theory by Carlisle and Jasper later in the evening.

Around 1:00 P.M., a light rain drove us inside for a few minutes. We gathered in one of the guest bedrooms on the second floor, as the downstairs area had still had paper and runners on the floor due to the ongoing construction.

That's when I saw a stranger appear from across the clearing. He was a wearing a long grey cloak.

"Demetri," muttered Carlisle.

"Who?" I asked Esme.

"He's like the Volturi's sleuth, dear. But don't worry; Carlisle lived with them for decades. They'll talk to him, it will all be OK." Somehow the way she was hugging me close to her didn't make that seem like much of a possibility.

Carlisle went down to the front door and welcomed the visitor. They had a quiet conversation, and then I was called downstairs.

I went down and saw Carlisle and Edward standing next to a tall vampire dressed in a cloak. He was inhumanely handsome, like the other vampires I had met. I was, however, immediately struck by his red eyes. His handsome face had a cruel cast to it, and he looked as though he relished seeing me.

"Bella, this is Demetri. He is from Volterra, Italy."

Demetri didn't answer; he just stared at me hungrily.

Jasper growled, and Demetri responded with a haughty look.

Demetri turned back to Carlisle and said something in a voice too low for me to hear, then left after bowing to the ladies. He cast a smirk at me over his shoulder just as he was passing through the door that sent shivers up my spine. I couldn't help biting my fingernails as I watched him leave.

Carlisle, Edward and Jasper looked between one another in despair after his departure.

"What happened?" I asked softly, breaking the silence.

"Demetri is the Volturi tracker," Carlisle began. "He can find us anywhere, which is what he wanted to prove by his visit today. We put him off by suggesting that as you were here with us, you were in no position to reveal what you know about our kind.

Unfortunately, those calls you've been making to your parents on Skype were either picked up by hackers or were leaked in some other way. I know your mother and father are being careful, but they might have mentioned something to a friend that was repeated in a public place."

I started to object, but Carlisle raised his hand, with a sad look on his handsome face.

"The rags pay people to spy. You never know where a reporter or photograhper might turn up. All we know is that the tabloids are all saying that you are at some secret, undisclosed location. They're claiming that you are (or were) the subject of a clandestine government study involving vampires and vampirism. You are still considered a liability by the leaders of our kind."

"But even if I was dead, they would keep the rumors going, right?"

"Probably," replied Edward softly.

"We'll deal with it tomorrow," Jasper said grimly. "We told him to go hunting."

I gasped, thinking of my friends.

"What? What was it, dear?" asked Carlisle.

"It's just that…there are people down here, around us. I saw her again this afternoon, outside!" I said anxiously.

"We didn't see anyone," said Edward softly.

"Yes, I know. She seems to know how to stay just out of sight. It's as if perhaps she's not altogether human herself. I think she's one of the dolphins," I blurted out, then stopped. They're going to think I've gone insane. And perhaps I have.

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	12. Chapter 11 - Meeting the Encantado

In her Twilight series, Stephenie Meyer created a world unlike any other. She owns this world, and I love playing in it.

This story was originally inspired by a spooky little nightmare I had.

My Spooky Nightmare - A Second Chance at Life

Chapter 10 – Meeting the Encantado

We waited anxiously, but Demetri didn't come back. The Cullens stayed on full alert, and both Carlisle and Esme cast more than a few suspicious looks on the guys, but they had spent the night guarding me.

It soon became clear that Demetri had disappeared into the forest and wasn't coming back. I felt like I'd been given a short reprieve.

Carlisle suspended work on the laboratories for a few weeks while we waited for Demetri's return. Esme took that time to get some finishing touches done on the living quarters. Mostly moving furniture "from here to there and then back again," as Emmett put it. It was kind of relaxing though. I liked it because this was something I could fully participate in, unlike the actual construction.

Jasper and I spent quite a few lazy afternoons together. We would explore a little of the jungle close to the compound. After a while I quit worrying about being attacked by wild animals, as Jasper explained that animals, and most humans, fled from vampires.

We would walk across the valley and plateau, and occasionally he would climb with me on his back to the top of the tree canopy so we could look at the view over the river valley. We talked about everything and nothing, and gradually I noticed that we were holding hands. It just felt natural.

One night, as I saw my ghostly friends hiding behind the trees, I called to them to come out.

Surprisingly, the girl took a few hesitant steps into the clearing. Carlisle and Jasper both froze, seeming mesmerized at her appearance, but then her friends quickly grabbed her and pulled her back towards the river with them.

The Cullens waited a few minutes, but she didn't return. Jasper quietly walked over to where she had been standing.

Jasper quickly returned. "The only scent is that of a dolphin," he declared in his Texas accent.

"They're shifters, perhaps," suggested Carlisle. "There are local legends of the encantados, which are beings who are either dolphins or snakes that can become human. The men are supposed to wear hats when in human form in order to disguise their blowholes that remain on the tops of their heads."

"My friend always wears an elaborate hair ribbon in white linen that matches her dress. I wonder if that's what she is covering up?" I mused aloud.

Alice said she had never seen the shifters, and she hadn't seen any trace of Demetri once he left our compound.

"Well, we need more information," replied Jasper. "But we also need to stay here to keep Bella safe. Carlisle, do you think you know where your friend Zafarina might be?"

"When we last met her, she was a nomad and was moving throughout the jungle without a regular home base. Alice, can you get a read on her?"

"I've been trying Carlisle, because of course I knew you would ask. But her gift is to create pictures with her mind, so it's hard for me to tell exactly where she is. It could just be a picture she's imagined."

After consulting a variety of maps, both paper and computer-based, Edward and Carlisle decided on a probable location for the South American coven. It was decided that Rosalie and Emmett would set off for Chile to attempt to make contact with them. I knew I would miss Emmett, as his booming laugh was one of the few things that always brought me out of the occasional funks I still suffered.

They returned a few days later with three vampires, two women and a boy: Zafrina, Huilen, and Nahuel. There was quite a bit of excitement at their arrival. It took a while for everyone to adjust and learn one another's stories.

The boy, Nahuel, particularly, seemed upset by my story. "So you have a mother, but you cannot live with her?" This seemed to bother him greatly.

At her first opportunity, Esme explained quietly the circumstances of Nahuel's conception and birth, which resulted in the death of his mother Pire. After hearing that horror story, I began to sympathize with the shy, seemingly haunted, young boy.

One of the main topics of conversation was the disappearance of Demetri. Zafrina and Rosalie both seemed to think perhaps he had just been summoned back to Volterra, but Alice shook her head. "I would have seen that," she said. "He's just disappeared."

Zafrina questioned Alice about the mysterious girl who had been taken back into the jungle by her friends. Alice replied that she never saw her in her visions either. And sometimes she didn't see me, she confided. This seemed to worry her, as she felt her powers were diminishing for some reason.

After a few days of visiting, Carlisle decided that rather than just waiting for Demetri or someone else from Volterra to return, they should get back to work on the building. The main refrigeration units and other equipment were finally arriving, so he was going to be able to work on developing serums from the various plants.

This involved raising animals to test the drugs on. That wasn't something I was keen on, and Emmett said it was especially difficult for the Cullens, as the animals naturally ran from vampires.

"I've caught Carlisle glamouring the test subjects so he could pick them up and give them an injection," he told me conspiratorially. I laughed at the image of Carlisle mesmerizing a white rat, but if that's what it took, something told me he would do it.

Soon Carlisle and Edward were busying themselves in the labs. Jasper spent more time with me, helping me set up my science projects. He knew I would rather be out sketching, so he did a bit more on the projects than he should have. Carlisle was on to him, but let him do it. "As long as she could perform the experiments on her own," he said.

Esme and Jasper handled most of the non-science school requirements. As part of my literature studies, we play-acted scenes from the Shakespeare plays. Both Hamlet and Mercutio (from Romeo and Juliet) died a bunch of times in that jungle. The early evenings spent play-acting were among my favorite time of the day. Everyone took part, and they all took on various characters. It was interesting when they would swap roles, so at one time, Esme might play Juliet while Alice played the Nurse, the next evening, these roles were swapped.

Then one night Carlisle took a troubling phone call. He took the unusual step of going into his office and closing the door during the conversation. I knew that he only did that for my benefit, as with vampire hearing, the others would have no problem following both sides of the phone conversation.

He reported that Aro had called, looking for Demetri. Carlisle said that Demetri had left, and we hadn't seen him since.

Aro asked about me, of course, but his overriding interest was in Demetri. It was clear that the Volturi tracker hadn't returned to Volterra.

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	13. Chapter 12 - Talking to the Encantados

In her Twilight series, Stephenie Meyer created a world unlike any other. She owns this world, and I love playing in it.

I want to thank reader/reviewer extraordinaire NatalieLynn for her suggestion for dealing with the tabloids, which I will be using in this and the next few chapters.

This story was originally inspired by a spooky little nightmare I had.

My Spooky Nightmare - A Second Chance at Life

Chapter 11 - Talking to the Encantados

One morning I had my small DVD player with me as I sat studying in the front yard. I was playing some of Carlisle's classical music on it, trying to get an appreciation for it. I found I liked piano pieces, especially Beethoven's concertos and sonatas. That day I was playing Beethoven's "Emperor Concerto". I was alone for a few minutes, as Jasper had gone inside.

My shy friend from the forest quietly appeared next to me. She smiled and tried to communicate with me but with only limited success, as she didn't speak English. She started to bolt when Jasper reappeared but seemed to change her mind. I suddenly felt so flooded with calm I almost fell asleep. _"Oh,"_ I thought. "_He's trying to convince her to stay."_

She sat down next to me, in a tentative motion, keeping her eyes on Jasper. Zafrina came out to join us and was able to translate.

The girl and Zafrina spoke for a few moments, and then Zafina turned to me with a smile. "She says her name is Leilu, and she wants to know yours."

"Tell her my name is Bella," I answered.

Zafrina turned back to Leilu, and they spoke for a minute. For once I was able to pick out a word – "Bella", of course. Leilu repeated "Bella" a few times, at first slowly and hesitantly, almost as if she were tasting my name as she spoke it. She smiled at me and then asked Zafrina a question with an anxious look on her face.

"She wants to know if you are O.K." Zafrina translated.

"O.K.?" I asked.

"Yes, it's a bit awkward for her, but she knows we are vampires. They've been watching you carefully since you arrived with the Cullens, but you don't seem afraid of us. At least not most of us," Zafrina added, regarding Leilu curiously.

"Tell her that you and the Cullens are my friends, and the Cullens saved me from some evil vampires."

Zafrina translated, and Leilu smiled. She then said something else that Zafrina translated.

"She also wants to thank you for helping her in the river that day, when her tail was caught in a net. She couldn't transform to her human form in order to remove it while the silver was touching her."

"Was someone trying to catch her?" I asked.

"Yes, there has been some 'tribal warfare', if you like. Some of her people are anacondas; others are dolphins. The anacondas live both on land and in the shallow waters, and they can feed on dolphins. So they feel superior. They lay traps for the dolphins laced with threads of silver. The silver prevents the transformation from taking place when one of her people is caught in it. The anaconda people have to be careful in laying the traps that they don't get caught themselves."

"Well, the old saying goes something like, 'beware of falling into the pit you have dug,'" I replied

Leilu seemed to wait for Zafrina's translation anxiously, and she looked a bit puzzled. Then she shyly said something to Leilu and appeared to almost blush as she waited for my reaction to the translation. Zafrina smiled as she translated. "The man who has been with her is an anaconda. He visited your room one night to check on you, at her request. He told her he was afraid that he frightened you when you woke up unexpectedly, which had not been his intent."

I remembered that night very well. The huge, silent snake that everyone else thought was a dream. So he had been friendly? I just asked Zafrina to say that I remembered him, and I was glad to hear his visit had been friendly.

But eventually Leilu asked Zafrina a few more things and then looked at me, awaiting my response. "She was initially worried about you, being with us, but you appeared relaxed and happy," Zafrina translated.

"I'm happy with the Cullens, yes," I answered. "I traveled with them from my home in the north."

Leilu looked relieved. She began talking again, more rapidly this time.

Zafrina continued to translate. "The hostility between their two tribes was put on hold because we, as vampires, posed a common threat. But there was one vampire who came that she is curious about. He brought the smell of human blood and an odor of fear and death. You looked scared as he left, and your friends looked worried as well."

_Demetri_, I thought. "Do you know something about him?" I asked Lielu.

She gave a short answer which Zafrina quickly translated. "He went into the jungle," said Zafrina, casting a significant glance at Carlisle, who was quietly watching from the patio. Leilu didn't meet anyone's eyes when she made her comment, and she shifted nervously.

Sensing the change in her mood, I changed the tone of the conversation to a more casual topic by asking her if she had seen many Blue Morpho butterflies, the beautiful iridescent butterflies that usually lived further north. Alice had found one shortly after we arrived, but I wanted to find my own. Leilu smiled. Yes, she had seen them, but not recently.

She didn't seem to want to stay any longer, so we bid her good-bye and watched as she seemed to just melt into the jungle.

I turned to Carlisle then.

"Carlisle, I've been thinking. It seems that right now, whether I live or die is almost irrelevant to the Volturi. The tabloids are carrying on with their stories despite my absence. What if I went home for a few weeks…" at this statement, Carlisle appeared ready to interrupt, but I raised my hand "…to see my mother. While I'm there, we can hold a news conference where I will give an interview.

I can say that I've spent the past few months in therapy and have realized that my kidnappers were very sick individuals who convinced me they were vampires. But with time, medication, and therapy, I've realized that it was just a sick, elaborate game they were playing. They needed a witness, someone who truly believed them to be vampires, in order to carry out their fantasies. So they kidnapped a thirteen year-old girl, me, to play this role.

But now I understand and can move on. Maybe this will be enough to silence the papers."

When I was done, Jasper was the first to speak. "It could work, you know. And I could be in a nearby room during the press conference and manipulate emotions to make them believe her. This could work!"

There was some discussion of the idea, and eventually it was decided I would go home to see Renee in Florida for a week.

I called Renee in Florida and let her know I would be coming home for a visit. She couldn't stop crying at the news. So plane reservations were made, and the big day finally came.

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Looks like the last chapter will be either 14 or 15. Getting close to the end, guys! Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing. I was rather uncertain about this story, and your reviews have kept me posting.


	14. Chapter 13 - Trip to Florida

In her Twilight series, Stephenie Meyer created a world unlike any other. She owns this world, and I love playing in it.

I want to thank reader/reviewer extraordinaire NatalieLynn for her suggestion for dealing with the tabloids, which I will be using in this and the next few chapters.

This story was originally inspired by a spooky little nightmare I had.

My Spooky Nightmare - A Second Chance at Life

Chapter 12 – Trip to Florida

The big day came. I was going home, if only for a short time. I loved being with the Cullens, but I still missed Renee and Charlie.

We made the long trip back down the river to Manus and caught our flight to Florida without event. We had a lively dolphin escort most of the way. I wondered which one was Leilu, of course.

Once we got to Florida, Carlisle drove our little party of Esme, Jasper and me to Renee's house. We purposefully hadn't told her our arrival time to avoid a media glut, and we also arrived late at night for the same reason. As we pulled into the familiar neighborhood, my excitement rose as we passed the parks and houses of her subdivision.

Once we got to Renee's house, instead of knocking on the door, I called her on Carlisle's cellphone from the car outside. Phil answered and passed the phone to Renee. She came flying through the door when I said I was outside, hair sticking in every direction. I thought her hug might break my back, but I didn't care. Esme and Carlisle exchanged knowing smiles at our reunion.

We went inside, her arm around my shoulders. She insisted I have something to eat. Of course there was nothing in the house, so Phil ordered a pizza. The Cullens picked at their pieces and stuck them in their pockets to make them appear eaten.

After eating, I crashed in my old room. How long had it been, I thought? Years now, I reflected sadly. My room was much as I had left it during my last brief visit. Some of my stuff was still here, for planned visits, the rest had been sent to Charlie's house in Forks. That was before I left for South America. Tears welled in my eyes as I thought about how my dreams that I had for a normal life while I was in the hospital after my rescue had been so derailed. Finally I fell asleep.

The next morning, we laid out the plan for a press conference. Initially Renee was wary of the idea, but eventually she went along with it. I think Carlisle's calm manner eventually helped to persuade her. He told her that he had lined up an acquaintance, one Dr. Simpatico, to cover for me. Carlisle had explained the situation, and this psychiatrist had agreed to act the part of my therapist based on Carlisle's case notes.

I should have realized that Carlisle was "treating" me with talk therapy during our daily, friendly chats. I couldn't be mad, though. Living with the Cullens had brought back my will to live. And Jasper had brought back my belief that life could be good.

This was something that Renee clearly noticed. She kept watching Jasper and I with a knowing smile. Eventually I said, "Just say it."

"You two. You really seem to like one another, that's all," she replied.

"You're saying he's out of my league, with his looks and money?" I demanded.

Renee looked shocked at my statement and put one hand on me knee consolingly. "No, honey, just the opposite. I can tell two people who are in love. It's like you complete one another. You adjust your movements to one another. It's as if you are reaching out for one another at all times. And the way he watches you!"

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" I asked.

"It's an intense thing; that's all," she replied. "But the Cullens seem to be good people. And I don't think either Dr. or Mrs. Cullen would allow any harm to come to you."

_If only she knew,_ I thought.

We talked about all manner of things, everything and nothing. I had brought my sketch books with me from South America and told her about my part in the Cullens' project. She seemed very impressed. I described some of the insects we had found, and then I told her how much I wanted to find another one of the beautiful butterflies Alice had found for me, the Blue Morpho.

"Well, if there's another one down there, I'm sure you'll find it," she said with a smile.

The day of the press conference came all too quickly. Carlisle and Jasper had rehearsed my remarks with me. I was nervous about saying these things, as they weren't true. But they reminded me about all the play- acting I had done in South America, so I squared my shoulders and went out into the room.

They had arranged for a conference room at the local Hyatt and sent out a press announcement. They had contacted the local news stations as well, and Carlisle had specifically requested their presence in order to offset some of the tabloid frenzy.

The hotel had set up at a long table draped with a blue cloth in front of a small bank of microphones. Peeking in from the side of the room, all I could think was that the blue of the tablecloth reminded me of the Blue Morpho butterfly I was so longing to find. There were pitchers of water on the table, and notepads with pens. All that was needed was for us to go out there and take our seats. I shuddered.

Just before we went out, Jasper repeated, "Remember, you don't have to answer any questions you don't want to. And I'll be right here to keep things calm."

When the time came, Carlisle's doctor friend and I went out with my mother to sit at the table. Then the press was allowed in. Carlisle's friend, Dr. Simpatico, sat on my left, and my mother sat on my right. She held my hand under the table, and she gave it a reassuring squeeze as I looked out at the photographers snapping their photos.

As a psychiatrist, Dr. Simpatico had handled a few cases that had attracted media attention in the past, so he was experienced at handling the press. He led off by saying that he would make a statement and then would allow questions. If the press became pushy or unruly, he would end the press conference.

He also wanted to remind the press that I had been thirteen years old when I was kidnapped and was now seventeen years old. He was hoping he could count on them to allow me to move on with my life in a space of personal privacy, so I would be able attend college in peace and begin to live my life with normal prospects of privacy.

_Fat chance of that_, I thought to myself.

Surprisingly, or maybe not considering Jasper's involvement, the press conference went well. After each reasonable question, Dr. Simpatico glanced at me to see if I was willing to give an answer. In most cases, I just shook my head.

Some of the more pressing questions were what happened to the kidnappers, and who my rescuers were. I decided to address the question about my rescuers.

"I just want to give a heart-felt thanks to the people who stopped for me that day. They were the intended victims, but for some reason, they got me away before the kidnappers could make their move. If it hadn't been for their kindness in stopping, I wouldn't be here today."

That brought on a flood of questions about the rescuers, asking for description of age, height, etc. I finally said that I didn't remember much, except that they took me to the hospital. The orderly had not gotten a look at them either.

I felt a wave of peace after I finished and realized it was Jasper's way of letting me know he had heard me.

Soon the conference was over, and I was hustled out of the underground garage entrance and back to Renee's house. I had accomplished my goal in coming back to the states, now it was just a matter of waiting to see if it worked.

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	15. Chapter 14 - A Vampire Puzzle Piece

In her Twilight series, Stephenie Meyer created a world unlike any other. She owns this world, and I love playing in it.

I want to thank reader/reviewer extraordinaire NatalieLynn for her suggestion for dealing with the tabloids, which I used in the previous chapter. And thanks to my wonderful beta, EdwardsMate4Ever, for giving this chapter her attention at the last minute…

This story was originally inspired by a spooky little nightmare I had.

My Spooky Nightmare - A Second Chance at Life

Chapter 13 – a vampire puzzle piece

All good things come to an end, and we went back to our new home in South America. The Volturi were still looking for Demetri, and we didn't need them poking around Renee's house.

When we got back, Leilu came out in the clearing to greet me immediately. Zafrina said she had told her I was going home to see my mother, but Leilu still looked relieved to see me.

I had brought back photos Jasper had taken of the two of us together. Just eating (my idea), shopping (her idea), and generally hanging out. Zafrina said that Leilu claimed I had my mother's smile. Jasper ducked his head and smiled when he heard that.

Jasper and I had moved more toward being a couple during our time in Florida. Renee's observations had cemented what I had thought was happening. I just hadn't let myself think about it, as the possibility I might be wrong hurt too much.

Our daily walks together became somewhat longer. The occasional touches that happened when he had to help me over a rock or fallen tree became more frequent. We started sitting on those fallen trees, his arm around me, talking about everything and nothing.

And one day, as he brushed some hair out of my eyes, he leaned in, pausing just before his lips touched mine. I moved forward for our first kiss. He ran his hands through my hair gently, holding me close. It was magic, as he tasted like honey and sunshine, and the warmth I was feeling from his touch spread through my entire body. I felt love and a need for another that I had never known before. I never wanted it to end. When I pulled back to take a breath, he laughed and whispered, "Sorry."

"Sorry?" I almost jumped away. He thought the kiss was a mistake?

"Sorry I forgot you needed to breathe," he added quickly, reaching for my hand and pulling me back to his side. I leaned against his chest. It was cool through his shirt, and felt rock hard. I cautiously ran my hand over it, feeling the sculpted muscle underneath. He closed his eyes and seemed to stop breathing, just so he could fully concentrate on my explorations.

Later when we walked back, Emmett looked at us and gave a knowing nod.

"What?" I asked, blushing.

"About time, dude," replied Emmett to Jasper. "That's all I'm saying." This remark earned Emmett as slight growl from Jasper, but Emmett only laughed.

Later Jasper remarked, "They say Emmett doesn't have a gift. But he is very sensitive to relationships. There is another of our kind, Marcus Volturi, who can literally 'see' the bonds that unite two people, but I think Emmett has a similar power. He's very good with it. He plays the part of the clown, but he runs much deeper than that."

Alice was also excited for me. She bounced up to me later in the hallway by my room, saying, "I knew it! I always knew it! You make such a cute couple. I'm so excited for you both!"

I blushed and said, "Do you really think so?"

"Of course! I caught a glimpse of this the first time I saw you, out on that road that day. I didn't say anything because there were so many possibilities, so many different outcomes."

"What do you see now?" I asked shyly.

She sighed. "With Leilu and her friends around, I don't see much of anything for anybody anymore. But when we go back home next time, I'm going to insist I go with you, and I'll tell you then." 

As weeks passed, without anything further on Demetri, the tension level seemed to have calmed down as we moved into the rainy season. We were closing up the house in preparation for a whopper of a storm that was predicted one day when Leilu appeared with one of the encantado men. She had something wrapped in a leaf. It was moving.

She immediately had Carlisle's attention, and Jasper shoved me behind his back as he went into a protective crouch. Leilu's eyes opened wide at his stance, so he stopped and partially straightened up, but he continued to block my body completely with his.

Carlisle held out his hand for her bundle.

She handed it to him, seemingly unable to look him in the eye. Carlisle turned his back to me so I couldn't see what he was doing.

Edward and Emmett were at his side instantly and I heard low exclamations as the three of them examined what Carlisle was holding.

"What is it?' I whispered to Jasper.

"I don't have to see it to know what it is," replied Jasper grimly. "I could smell Demetri from across the clearing, and from the movement, I suspect it is his hand."

I gasped in horror. "But…how?"

"I think it's time we got some answers from Leilu," replied Jasper.

Zafrina and Esme went to Leilu, got her to sit down, and spoke with her for a few minutes. Carlisle gestured for the others to stay away. One of the encantado men came and stood protectively by her as well. It was the one who was always with her.

Zafrina finally came back. "Just tell me," I practically snapped. "If it involves Leilu, don't leave me out."

Zafrina looked at Carlisle, who nodded. "The night Demetri came, they saw Demetri leaving the house, and they sensed your fear, Bella. He headed into the jungle and quickly picked up their trail. They changed to their dolphin and anaconda forms, but he was still searching for them. I think he thought he had found a novelty to present to Aro.

He came upon an dolphin encantado mother with a young child. The child was too young to understand the urgency, so she didn't change in time. Demetri picked her up and the mother changed back, begging him for the child. Demetri attacked her, biting her throat.

Immediately, the encantados of all forms attacked him. He may be stone, but they are immortals as well. It wasn't easy, but they pulled him to pieces."

Zafrina paused, and Leilu looked at our faces, nervously waiting for our reactions. She seemed relieved when Jasper nodded at her.

"What did they do with the pieces?" asked Carlisle. "Something tells me they didn't know to burn them."

"No, they didn't know they had to burn them. They couldn't destroy the pieces, so they buried them at different points in the river. Last night they found the hand wiggling across a clearing. They went to find the other pieces, and none of the other pieces were where they had been buried. They only have the hand. It was a long way from where it had been buried, it appeared to have been taken downriver by something, and it was making its way back."

"What do we do?" gasped Esme.

"Burn it," intoned Jasper sternly. Carlisle looked at him. "Do it. Demetri's seen the encantados, if he leaves here alive he'll send the Volturi down here to collect a few for Aro's private collection, and then they'll wipe out the rest in revenge."

Carlisle sighed. "I don't look forward to harming or taking the life of another being, even a sadistic one like Demetri. But I agree; it has to be done. When he comes here looking for the hand, we'll destroy the rest of him."

He asked Zafrina to explain what needed to be done to Leilu and Tomas, the male encantado who was with her. They were about to set fire to Demetri's hand when I intervened.

"Wait," I shouted. "We don't know where the rest of him is, correct? So he's probably reassembling himself somewhere. He'll have to come here to find his hand. You can be ready."

Emmett, Carlisle and Jasper exchanged glances.

"It's worth a try," said Jasper. "But I don't want Bella here while we wait for a reassembled Demetri to show up."

"I agree. Tomorrow, after the storm passes, you'll take her upriver to Manaus. From there, head to Denali, Alaska, and wait for me there. Jasper, you and Edward will take her up river while Emmett and I will wait here," Carlisle said. When he saw my puzzled look, he continued. "Edward will pick up Demetri's thoughts if he gets close to you. And there isn't a vampire alive who could better protect you than Jasper. With Edward's ability to predict his next move, Demetri won't be able to surprise the three of you. I really think he will come here to retrieve his hand first. We'll have Zafrina and the encantados here to help us. Don't worry about us," he added kindly.

The vampires talked for a while longer, in lower voices than I could hear. Esme occasionally would give me the overview of what they were saying as they discussed their strategy. What no one could understand, it seemed, was how Demetri was able to move without anyone noticing.

Finally they moved the conversation back to a level I could follow.

Edward suggested, "He's a tracker. I suspect he's using his skills as a tracker in reverse, thinking of how he would elude someone. He's probably using the water to cover himself so we won't pick up his scent."

I looked at him puzzled, and then Edward explained that vampires were excellent swimmers. I almost snorted hearing that. What aren't they good at?

Tomas said that he would ask his people to search around the tree roots in the river in their animal forms, in case Demetri was lurking there. They would travel in pairs, so that if one of them was caught the other could report the find.

I listened in despair, thinking of how I had exposed my gentle friends to this danger. We heard the sound of the storm picking up, and Carlisle decided to move inside. Tomorrow I would be leaving, and the thought of leaving Leilu behind with Demetri in the area was tearing me apart inside.

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	16. Chapter 15 - Demetri

In her Twilight series, Stephenie Meyer created a world unlike any other. She owns this world, and I love playing in it.

I want to thank reader/reviewer extraordinaire NatalieLynn for her suggestion for dealing with the tabloids, which I used in a previous chapter. And thanks to my wonderful beta, EdwardsMate4Ever, for giving this chapter her attention at the last minute…

This story was originally inspired by a spooky little nightmare I had.

My Spooky Nightmare - A Second Chance at Life

Chapter 14 – Meeting up with an old acquaintance

The plans for our departure were delayed slightly by the storm.

That night, I sat in my room with Alice for company, who was chattering like a magpie. I heard the sounds of crashing from the outside as the wind picked up. Alice froze a few times, and I asked if she had a vision. She shook her head and finally admitted that they were all on edge.

When there was a break in the storm, I heard someone go outside. "Emmett," said Alice reassuringly.

A few minutes later, he came back but quickly went back out with Esme and Rosalie. They all came back about a half hour later. I looked down over the stairs into the hall and watched him talking to Carlisle. They stopped talking as I made my way downstairs.

"O.K., just stop it," I shouted, my nerves on edge. "I know if you stop talking when you see me, it's because you were talking about me. Just because I'm human doesn't mean I'm dumb. What is it?"

A dripping Emmett took the towel Edward handed him. Esme and Rosalie were already in the process of drying off, and both had removed their muddy shoes. All three were covered with mud, sticks and other debris.

"We heard a crashing noise outside, followed by the sound of breaking wood," Emmett began, "so I went out to see what had happened. It's the boat. It has a small hole in the hull. I pulled it up on land, but we're going to have to patch it. I found the rock that did the damage, and it's well sunk into the riverbed, so I think it was an accident, not anything else."

My blood chilled. "You mean you thought Demetri put a hole in the boat?" My voice went up an octave before I realized it. "Even with just one hand?" Now that sounded stupid even to me.

"He can't come in here, there's too many of us," said Edward. "And the encantados are outside."

"As soon as the rains stop, you three will just have to take one of the smaller boats and head up river," Carlisle announced. "You'll meet up with other travelers soon, and I'm sure someone will rent you a larger boat to get to Manaus. But you're leaving when the rain stops. You can't run upriver with her, and you can't travel in the rain in one of the open boats."

It just all seemed too spooky. First the storm coming in just as we were getting ready to leave. And now, the damage to the boat.

A quiet knock came to the door, and a few of the encantado men stood outside. Zafrina translated for them. They reported that they had checked the river, and in their opinion, the rocks had been there when the storm began, but the strong current and wind had just blown the boat against one. They didn't think Demetri had been by the boat. Carlisle thanked them, and they left. I noticed as they left that without their hats, I could see the blowholes on the top of their heads. I had to suppress a hysteric giggle that threatened to burst through at this spectacle. After all, they were in the water, risking their lives for me.

I went back to my room, listening to the sounds of the wind and the rain die down as the storm finally passed. I was packing my bag, listening to Beethoven again, when I decided to look out the window.

And there it was, sitting on the window rail-a large Blue Morpho butterfly! It must have been sheltering from the rain outside in the safety of the cliff overhang. When I pulled the drapes it started to flutter upwards.

I couldn't let this opportunity pass. I grabbed my net, then dropped it and opted for my camera.

I took the little stairs that lead to the view point by the top of the waterfall. I went as quietly as possible, hoping it would be at the top of the cliff when I got outside.

Opening the hatch that lead outside onto the viewing patio under a tree, I stepped out. The Blue Morpho was poised, picture perfect, on the railing. As I was positioning my camera, my eye caught a movement from the side.

Rising from the rapid water that raced towards the waterfall was a ghastly figure. Demetri. His formerly handsome face was twisted, and his naked body had scars at his shoulders, neck and hips from where the encantados had pulled him apart. And he only had one hand.

I started to scream, but he was in front of me with that one hand over my mouth before I could make a sound. He didn't say a word and didn't appear surprised when Edward appeared behind him from the open hatchway.

"Don't…" said Edward.

But Demetri was already on the rocks at the edge of the falls, dangling me from both of my hands with his one hand. I didn't have the breath to speak or even breathe.

"She'll be dashed onto the rocks the second any of you takes a step closer," Demetri said quite calmly.

"Is this what you want?" said Esme from the foot of the waterfall. She held up his hand, smiling sweetly.

He nodded.

Then she held up a lighter. "You give her to me, and I don't burn this," she said seriously, her smile gone.

Even from my position, I could see the anacondas slowly lowering themselves from the surrounding trees. Some were already to the bank of the stream that flowed into the waterfall. Demetri followed my eyes and looked at them too.

"I see you found some new friends, Carlisle. Just lovely company you've been keeping," he said calmly.

Jasper began slowly climbing the rocks below.

"Another step closer, Major, and she goes into the water," warned Demetri.

Jasper froze.

"What is her attraction to you? Yes, she smells good," he mused, putting his loathsome nose into my neck, "but that's a reason she should be dead, not alive. I just don't understand you," he said.

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	17. Chapter 16 - The Bite

In her Twilight series, Stephenie Meyer created a world unlike any other. She owns this world, and I love playing in it.

I want to thank reader/reviewer extraordinaire NatalieLynn for her suggestion for dealing with the tabloids, which I used in a previous chapter. And thanks to my wonderful beta, EdwardsMate4Ever, for encouraging me through the rough spots in the story…

This story was originally inspired by a spooky little nightmare I had.

My Spooky Nightmare - A Second Chance at Life

Chapter 15 – the Bite

"So you're really going to kill me this time?" Demetri said conversationally. He sighed. "Guess all good things will come to an end. Remind your slithery friends what will happen to them when Caius starts looking for me."

"Oh, don't worry. I can work that out so he'll never know to look for you here," said Jasper. "If you want this to be quick, give her to me."

At that moment, I saw one of the anacondas raising first its head, then its long, scaly body out of the roiling water at the edge of the cliff. It had started wrapping itself around Demetri's leg. I watched in horror as Demetri tried to figure out what to do. He only had one hand, and he was holding me with it.

Just as I realized that his only option at self-defense would involve dropping me into the water, he dashed me on the rocks just below where the waterfall started. I felt my head collide with the rocks, the force of the impact blurring my vision. As my eyes were closing, I saw what appeared to be three more anacondas encircling him, one on each arm, and another around his neck. He was struggling with one hand to pull one of the snakes toward his mouth.

Then the pain hit me, just as the water entered my mouth. As my eyes closed I felt something cold and hard lift me.

"Bella." I heard Jasper's pained voice calling to me from what felt like a long ways off.

I could also hear Carlisle. "Emmett, let them finish him off. We've got to take care of Bella."

I tried to talk but found I couldn't move. I was enveloped in pain, and I felt a cold numbness creeping up from my feet.

Carlisle's voice was by my head. "Her pulse is slowing. Set her down gently. Bella, can you hear me? Squeeze my hand if you can."

I tried, but he didn't seem to feel anything.

Jasper's voice was in my ear, and I could feel him kissing my hair. "Can you hear me? I can't lose you…I've waited so long for you to get here. Carlisle, I can't lose her now."

Voices were fading in and out around me. Though I was fighting to stay awake, I knew I was losing the battle. I was just hearing random words and phrases.

"…Romanians, I picked out…" That sounded like Edward.

"…we have to know what she wants…" That sounded like Carlisle.

I could feel different hands on my waist and beneath my head now. I thought it was Esme. They seemed to have stopped moving me.

"Bella, I'm going to open your eyelids, OK? I think you can hear me. "

My eyelids were opened, and a blinding light hit them. I felt more pain, but I couldn't move or speak.

"We don't have time, Carlisle." I heard another voice. There seemed to be voices everywhere, and they were hard to follow. Plus the darkness kept creeping up on me, pulling me down, making it hard to hear or care. I found myself mouthing, "Mom".

"She's trying to say something! Bella, do you want to be with me? Stay with me? Say yes or no, honey. Just give me an indication. Squeeze my hand…" That sounded like Jasper.

I tried to form a "yes," but moving my lips was so hard.

"That was a 'yes', Carlisle. Her mouth widened slightly. I'm taking that as a yes." I heard determination in Jasper's voice, but it was fading.

Then there were just sounds, muffled noises that might have been voices, and I was floating. I felt alone, where were they? Why was this happening? I thought again of my mother and Charlie.

Suddenly I felt a prick, then a flash of pain. It happened again and again, on several points of my body. If I could have thrashed, I would have. What happened to the quiet and dark? I tried to summon Carlisle, to get him to make it stop.

I began to drown in the fire, which was everywhere. Although I kept screaming and thrashing, it was to no avail. Something or someone was holding me down.

I started feeling and sensing things again. Something cold was against me, and I realized it was a body with arms around my waist. It wasn't enough to offset the burning, but it felt better as I heard Jasper murmuring in my ear, "It's going to hurt, but it will go away. I'm staying here with you." Why couldn't they make it stop hurting? However hard I struggled to cling to Jasper, I began to submerge into the flames again and lost all sense of the outside world.

Eventually I realized I could hear again, but I could hardly care, as the pain was so great. Fire was running from my legs and arms towards my center. I felt I could explode with it. Everything burnt with a pain so intense it was as if didn't have anywhere to go, it could only move outward and consume everything it touched.

Occasionally I would hear Jasper's voice. It was starting to sound different, though, as it was becoming even more melodic somehow. Sometimes I would hear Carlisle's or Emmett's voices. But that took a lot of concentration, as the pain was everywhere.

At one point, I knew I was being moved. My arms and legs were being jostled, spreading the fire even more. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, the movement finally stopped. I heard Jasper say, "We're on a plane. I'm taking you to Alaska." At least I thought that's what I heard him say. That made absolutely no sense. I could also hear the sound of crying, which also made no sense. Vampires couldn't cry. Who was crying?

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Next chapter is the end guys. Thank you to everyone who has been following this story and reviewing.


	18. Chapter 17 - Waking Up

In her Twilight series, Stephenie Meyer created a world unlike any other. She owns this world, and I love playing in it.

I want to thank reader/reviewer extraordinaire NatalieLynn for her suggestion for dealing with the tabloids, which I used in a previous chapter. And thanks to my wonderful beta, EdwardsMate4Ever, for encouraging me through the rough spots in the story…and making this chapter readable. I was really struggling with this one, and she really came through.

And to everyone who read, reviewed, and marked the story with an Alert or Favorite, thank you so much. You guys kept me posting.

This story was originally inspired by a spooky little nightmare I had.

My Spooky Nightmare - A Second Chance at Life

Chapter 16 – Waking Up

Eventually the fire seemed to have burnt out of my arms and legs. They felt numb, like there were no longer attached to my body. Had they been severed or simply burnt off by the fire? The flames began to travel upwards, focusing on the center of my chest. But instead of decreasing, it intensified. Although I believed I had experienced the worst pain possible, I was wrong. It actually amplified, as if my body was melting. I could feel my heart pounding, and then it was struggling to beat. Finally it ceased.

And so did the fire. One minute it was there; the next it was gone.

I opened my eyes.

The light was dazzling. I felt that I was inside a kaleidoscope, with colored prisms sliding everywhere. I only realized I could move my hands again when they appeared in front of me. At least, I thought they were my hands. They were scattering brilliant rays of light in every direction.

Then I heard a sound. It took a second for me to realize it was a voice, and then to recognize who it belonged to, before I could process the word being spoken.

Someone had said, "Bella." But the voice was a cross between a gentle wind and an angel's song. Was this heaven?

As I sat up I saw a group of beings across from me. Instantly I threw myself backwards, seeking a wall or other shelter. I heard a loud crash and felt dust and small chunks of something falling around me.

When I recovered from the initial shock, I realized one of the beings across from me was Jasper, though he had never looked like this before.

He stepped forward cautiously, saying my name again.

I started to move toward him but paused for a moment, hearing another voice speaking to me. I shot my head in the direction, making a low rumbling sound inside without realizing it. The sound came from somewhere deep in my body and was strange to my ears. I realized I had growled. One of the others had spoken, saying, "Careful, Jasper. Don't startle her."

I had noticed the scents before, but only now did I start to focus on them. One scent called to me so strongly that I closed my eyes to shut out all other distractions, and I launched myself in its direction. It drew me strongly, smelling of cinnamon, leather, and the dusky hot air of a summer afternoon . I realized I had knocked the barely recognizable Jasper to the ground and I was sprawled on top of him, clutching him tight. This was the source of the scent?

He lay very still on the floor, letting me smell him. It was so confusing, as I wanted to devour him, hug him, rub him…

"Easy, darling'," I heard him chuckle. "I do understand, though. I feel the same way."

I got off of him, feeling like blushing.

I heard a soft laugh behind me and whirled. How had I let them get behind me? I snarled and launched myself at the giggling, dark-haired girl.

Instantly two males were on me, and I felt another set of arms grasp me from behind. I fought the ones in front, but began to relax into the arms behind me. "Easy, easy, I'm right here. That's just Alice, honey. She didn't mean to startle you."

"We should go," I heard another female voice saying. I whipped my head around and looked at the group again. The light was still dazzling, and perspective was off, but there was another female there. She had caramel-brown hair_. Esme_, something in the back of my head was saying.

I felt Jasper stroking my hair. "You recognize her, don't you?" he said quietly. I nodded, watching as they nodded to Jasper and quietly left the room.

I turned back to him and grabbed him tight, pulling his lips to mine. That was the last sentence that was spoken for a long time. I couldn't let go of him. I _wouldn't_ let go of him. The clothing that separated us was torn off quickly, and we began exploring one another feverishly, hungrily. Time seemed to stop as we touched and explored one another, moaning and gasping at each new sensation.

Day passed into night, and I saw from the corner of my eye shadows crossing the room, looking as different as the sunlight had appeared earlier. I quickly lost interest in the changing light and returned all my attention to Jasper with renewed vigor. Soon light began to enter the room again, and the particles of dust seemed to dance in the sunlight as I lazed on Jasper's chest, nuzzling for a brief moment.

Suddenly I became distracted by another kind of hunger hit when I heard a kind of a squelching, rhythmic sound. It was very appealing somehow.

Jasper seemed to figure out what I was thinking.

"We need to get you something to eat."

"What is that?" I asked. I began to notice some very enticing smells. They were different from Jasper, but smelled very appetizing. They smelled like sustenance, and my throat began to burn. I started to move in the direction of the appealing scent, but Jasper caught me in his arms.

"Carlisle," he called. "I'm taking her out with me." There was a quiet voice in the hall, and the door opened. Someone handed clothes in to him, which Jasper took with a laugh. "Yes, we'll need these if we go out. Although, I'll be very sorry to lose my view…" I leapt at him, but he wrestled me to the floor and pulled a top over my head and slacks over my legs.

After releasing me and dressing himself, he held out his hand, saying, "Come. I'll explain on the way."

As we left the room I noticed a lot of holes in the walls and shattered furniture. I vaguely remembered having heard noises around us as we were reacquainting ourselves, but I had been more interested in Jasper than in my surroundings.

The outside was dazzling too. Initially it almost looked white, but then I realized the white was reflecting a full rainbow of color. "Snow," said Jasper. "There's a herd of caribou over this way."

"What was the smell?" I asked.

"Leilu insisted on coming with us. We told her it wasn't a good idea, but she had to know you were safe. We couldn't risk her trying to find us on her own, so we let her come."

"I heard someone crying on the plane," I commented.

"You remember that?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"I remember everything," I said grimly.

"I'm sorry," he replied quietly. He sped off, and I took off like a shot after him.

We quickly found the herd of caribou, and I took down three in quick succession, sucking the blood from their necks quickly. I was startled by how easy it was. My new speed amazed me, as the large animals almost seemed to be standing still when I caught up to them. I had always wondered how the Cullens hunted, but I had never been allowed to watch. Looking down at the mess I made, I moaned. There was fur and blood everywhere.

"Don't worry, these parkas are waterproof," Jasper replied. "We planned for you to destroy a few. Sit with me?"

I plopped down on a nearby rock, Jasper leaning on his forearm at my side while we watched the sunset playing across the clouds. With my new vision, the view was astonishing. So many colors, changing so quickly as the sun sank behind the mountains.

Finally breaking the silence, I asked, "What happened back there?"

"Carlisle couldn't fix the damage to your body. Demetri had broken your neck and shattered your skull when he dashed you onto the rocks," Jasper explained. "I had to change you." He looked at me quickly, as if trying to gauge my reaction.

I smiled as I snuggled against him. "I can't say I enjoyed the experience, but seeing you now… with eyes like this…I can't get over how wonderful you are. I can only be glad we're together."

Then, remembering what the circumstances that brought me to this new condition, I asked: "And Demetri?"

Jasper grinned. "That's where Edward's ability came in. We couldn't figure out how he got so close. We could only guess that he focused on keeping his mind very blank, just looking at the scenery. With all the other thoughts swirling around from the encantados and ourselves, Edward missed him.

But Demetri had a few flashes of thought that he couldn't hid from Edward. During his first visit, Demetri had been thinking about how he had been on a mission for the Volturi, spying on the Romanians, who are sworn enemies of their leader, Aro. It occurred to Edward to give the remaining Romanians, Stefan and Vladimir, a call. They were very interested to hear about the situation, even the vague details Edward was able to share. Edward had managed to get more information out of Demetri by asking him questions that would spark memories, even if Demetri wouldn't answer him directly. The Romanians were so excited that they even offered to pick him up from us. Naturally, we declined. We sent his dismembered body on a chartered flight instead. Now they have him and apparently have been able to question him further. They've contacted Aro and advised him that they have Demetri." I gasped, shocked.

Jasper laughed. "They'll never turn him over to the Volturi, of course. Carlisle explained that, as he had personally assisted in dismembering Demetri, he would prefer that Aro not be in a position to find that out. Stefan readily agreed."

"Oh," was all I could think to say.

After watching the colors of the sunset fade into darkness, we went back home. I was stunned at the sight of the house.

It was beautiful. And had probably been much more beautiful at one time. There were huge, gaping holes in the side of the house now.

Emmett came outside with a grin, and I quickly tried to hide my shock at what I'd done. "I saw your face, Bella," he sang. "Yep, while you two lovebirds were out, I took the opportunity to catalogue the mess you made. Let's see, you guys trashed two bedrooms….in fact, all of the furniture on the second floor including three bathtubs and four sinks…"

I would have blushed, but I was fighting not to attack him.

"Cut it out, Emmett," hissed Jasper. "She's trying to keep from dismembering you, and if you don't stop, I might not try so hard to prevent her."

"Dude, when we get back, you and I are SO going to be in a contest to see who can do the most damage in the shortest time."

"I heard that," yelled Esme, coming out of the house. "Sorry, Bella. The boys can be so out of control. But Emmett WILL be a gentleman, now, correct?" A chagrined Emmett nodded. "So, how was your first hunt?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A few days later, they thought it was safe enough for me to meet Leilu. Both covens, the Cullens and the Denalis, chose to stand between us for the sake of her security. I understood, as I was still reacting faster than I could process thoughts.

Tomas decided to provide his own security. When I finally saw Leilu, he had assumed his serpent form. His head was well over five feet off the ground, and he was between us.

"Leilu?" I waved, and she waved back. We exchanged smiles, then I touched my nose, winced, and gestured I was going to leave. She laughed, an engaging, musical tinkle, and nodded her understanding.

"Carlisle tells me that they want to leave soon," Jasper said quietly. "She only feels comfortable eating in her dolphin form, and the swimming pool we have for her doesn't really give her enough room to chase her dinner. We worked hard to clean out all of the chlorine, and although she isn't complaining, it can't possibly smell or taste as nice as the Amazon River or the Rio Negro did."

My head swam, thinking that over. "Okay," I said.

So Leilu and Tomas left the next day. My last glimpse of the couple was Leilu in her parka, with Tomas in his anaconda form, slithering along behind her protectively as they left the estate. I smiled, recalling our initial meeting in the jungle, and how deftly she had managed to avoid the vampire's keen eyes for weeks.

I turned back to Jasper and gently clasped his hand in mine. His fingers threaded through mine reflexively. I would get past this newborn phase, and then we would be able to go rejoin our friends in South America, or anywhere else we chose to live.

We had an eternity to work everything out.

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